I never should have joined!
by AllieJenzie
Summary: What has changed Fairy Tail to hate Lucy so much, that they would injure her and kick her out? Heartbroken, Lucy leaves, leaving all her possessions behind. But what happens while on the brink of death Laxus finds her? Laxus? Why is he helping her!
1. The painful goodbye, and an old face

**Allie: My first Fairy Tail story! I'm so excited! I hope you all enjoy this, and try to go a little easy on me, kay?**

How did it end up like this? What had I done to get everyone so angry? They were completely right though, every word of it. I should have… I should have…

Never joined Fairy Tail!

- Earlier that day-

Lucy Heartfillia strolled down the streets of Magnolia, happily humming to herself. Her latest job was completed perfectly, counting on how it was the first solo mission she had taken in a while.

She had enough money for this months rent and could relax… even if it was only for a couple weeks.

She couldn't help but miss her team though. What were they doing right now? Gray was probably stripping, while fighting with Natsu. Erza was probably yelling at both of them, while enjoying her cake that Mira-san brought her, while Happy just munched on a fish while watching, once and a while commenting.

Yeah, that's exactly what everyone was doing. Lucy picked up her speed, desperate to see her friends again. After one week of being gone, she missed everyone a lot.

"Everyone! I'm back-" Lucy swung open Fairy Tail's front door, but paused at the dark atmosphere that filled the room. Was something wrong? Why did everyone look so… mad? No, maybe that wasn't the right word for it. Maybe it was… Bitter? Evil?

What was she thinking, no one from Fairy Tail was evil… well… There was Luxus of course… but he must of learned his lesson.

"What are you doing back?" Cana asked harshly, smacking her large wine barrel on the ground bellow her.

Lucy flinched. "I… I finished my mission." Lucy smiled weakly, walking down the steps and towards the bar.

"Ha, right. You probably ran away." Cana scoffed. Lucy eyes widened with hurt as she sat down on one of the chairs.

"No, I would never run away-" Lucy tried to defend herself.

"Please! You run away from everything, then make us clean up after you." Gajeel hissed, folding his arms across his chest.

Lucy flinched again. "I-"

"Why did you even come back? To think, I thought we finally got ride of you, there goes my hopes." Lucy whirled around towards Evergreen in shock.

What was with everyone? Did she do something wrong?

"Well? What are you still doing here?" Jet snapped angrily. "Or do you even understand anything at all?"

"J-Jet." Lucy whispered in shock. "D-Did I do something wrong?" Lucy choked out softly.  
>"Something wrong? Everything went wrong ever since you showed up!" Lucy eyes widened in horror when she realized it was Mira-san who had spoken up.<p>

"M-Mira…"

"All ways having to save you, listening to you complain about every little thing! Never once have you thought about how we felt." Gray yelled angrily, rising from his chair.

"G-Gray… I…"  
>"Save it Lucy, your just a little weakling who can't even protect herself, let alone her comrades."<p>

"E-Erza." Tears began to blur Lucy's vision.

"Oh goody, you're crying again!"

Lucy froze at the sound of that voice. "No… not him too." Lucy begged softly, turning towards the voice. Tears poured down Lucy's cheeks as she stared at the pink haired dragon slayer.

"Natsu…." Lucy choked out, hoping this nightmare would end.

"Don't you get it yet Lucy! We don't want you here! To think, I dragged you here because I felt sorry for you, and now I realize that it's been the biggest regret of my life! You never should have joined Fairy Tail!"

Lucy felt her heart break. Was this how everyone truly thought about her?

"Natsu I'm so sorry-"

"Do you ever shut up!"

Lucy's eyes widened in pain and horror as she felt Natsu's fist impact on the side of her face, sending her into the hair and crashing into one of the tables.

Lucy held her cheek in pain as it began to swell up, the sting still extremely immense.

"You little weakling!"

Lucy gasped in pain as Gajeel kicked her in the back, causing her to tumble forward, smacking into the ground.

That's when it truly began. Everyone just attacked in that one moment. Lucy could hear herself screaming from the pain, but her body felt limp… empty.

"Author… ha! Don't make me laugh!" Levy hissed, tossing Lucy's story to the ground.

Lucy was bleeding badly now. With several scratches and bruises covering her arms. It only became worst when Erza used one of her swords to cut a large gash in Lucy's side.

Lucy crumpled to the ground, her eyes dull and her body weak.

"I'm so sorry…. Everyone.' Lucy cried softly, her body shacking with fear. "I'll… I'll leave now." As Lucy stumbled to her feet, shacking violently as she held her bleeding side, she couldn't help but notice that the master and Happy were not present at the moment. Maybe that was a good thing….

"What are you waiting for! Get lost!"

Lucy gasped in pain as she felt Natsu's dragon punch impact on her back, sending her crashing through the front door.

"Never come back!" Elfman yelled.

Lucy stumbled to her feet, ignoring the immense she was in to look over her shoulder at everyone.

"Are you still not leaving!" Juvia yelled as everyone took a step towards her.

Fear got the better of Lucy and she ran, tripping and stumbling as she went. Why? Why did she feel so scared? They were her friend's right? That was true… they were her friends… but she wasn't theirs.

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry everyone." Lucy whispered, heading straight towards the train station.  
>What was she doing? Was she running away? Leaving forever? That was Fairy Tail wanted, right?<p>

She hadn't even packed yet, all her stuff was still at her apartment. Lucy didn't care… she had to leave. She couldn't…. she couldn't bring anything that reminded her of fairy tail….

"Your ticket ma'am."

Lucy quickly took the ticket and rushed towards the train, paying to attention to the pain coming from her side and back. Her shirt was probably burned… probably left a large scar.

"Ms! Are you all right?" one of the other passengers asked, deeply concerned at the state Lucy was in.

"I'm fine…." Tears streamed down Lucy's face. "I'm fine… I… I have to be strong…."

Lucy looked down at her hand… her eyes saddening at the sight. Her pink fairy tail mark was erased, hidden by blood and several cuts.

The passenger could only stare. "Ms, you need to see a doctor… those wounds could…"

"I don't care…" Lucy cried softly rushing into the train and taking her seat.

"**Now departing Magnolia**"

Lucy took a shaky breath. Why?

"I should have… never joined Fairy Tail…" Lucy mumbled softly, her weak body getting the best of her. Her eyes slowly shut, and she drifted off into a painful sleep, as the train pulled away from Magnolia station.

-Later that day-

Warm… Natsu must have snuck in my bed again.

Wait no… that can't be… Natsu… Painful memories rushed into Lucy's head, making her shiver with fear. She had never seen everyone like that before… it terrified her. So then, why was she so warm right now?

Lucy slowly opened her eyes to see the source of her heat was from a large drench coat that was fuzzy on the inside. Two large arms were around her shoulders and lifting up her legs, bringing Lucy close to purple fabric. Who… was this?

Lucy slowly looked up, her vision hazy.

"Geez, little brat. What are you doing on a train bleeding to death."? An annoyed voice asked coldly.

"… Luxus…. Dreyar?" Lucy whispered softly

"Yeah that's me… but you haven't answered my question." The young adult pushed.

Lucy's eyes filled with tears once again. "Luxus… why are you…" Lucy's felt a sharp pain through her side, and her conscious fading.  
>"Hey… Hey!"<p>

The last thing Lucy saw was Luxus staring down at her, yelling out something she could no longer hear, then everything went black.

**Allie: No one hate me please! Don't hate Fairy Tail either! Everything shall be explained in the next chapter or two. Please don't worry, and review. Tell me what you think!**


	2. A new journey begins?

**Well, here is my next chapter, and as I looked at the reviews from my first chapter (Which I didn't expect to get that many reviews for one chapter) I did realize I spelled Laxus wrong. Ha! Silly me ^_^' And another thing, I got a review saying there was a story similar to mine… or… mine was similar to another story… which ever will work I suppose. Anyways, I looked for that story and finally found it, at least I think I found it. It mad me cry, and my story is slightly similar to it. But I promise you all, this story is different from that story! The beginning was just in a way the same! And for the author of that story, I'm sorry if you thought I was copying you, but I swear I would never intend to copy you! I want my fanfics to be original! Thank you all for reviewing.**

-Let the story begin!-

**"What are you doing back?" Cana asked harshly, smacking her large wine barrel on the ground bellow her.**

Lucy whimpered, memories flooding back to her brain.

"**Lucy! What are you doing back! Get out of here!"**

W-What? Was that Cana's voice? No it couldn't have been. Cana never said that. She only kicked Lucy out, leaving scars mentally and physically as a good-bye gift. So then… who said that? It sounded so much like Cana, but… Cana didn't move her mouth when saying those words, so it couldn't be her, right?

"Hey, are you awake Blondie?"

Lucy's eyes twitched. "W… Who?" Lucy muttered opening her eyes to see a familiar looking blonde staring back at her. "…Laxus?"

"I believe we went over this back at the strain station." Laxus hissed, crossing his arms.

Lucy blinked. What was Laxus doing here? Here…. Where was "here?"

"Where-"

"You in the hospital at Oshibana." Laxus sighed, leaning his head on his hand.

"Oshibana? That far all ready? Why did you- wait a minute… Why were you on the same train as me!" Lucy demanded sitting up, but instantly regretting it. "Ahh!" Lucy yelped in pain, clutching her now bandaged side.

"Don't move idiot, you'll open up the wound!" Laxus snapped.

Lucy flinched and nodded. "Okay."

Laxus sighed once again, irritation deep in his voice. "I got on the train at Kunugi, you just happened to be there, so I took you off when we got to Oshibana."

Lucy stared at Laxus in disbelief. "Why would you help me?"

Laxus flinched. "Did you want to be left there to die?" Laxus snapped.

Lucy slowly shook her head. "No… I suppose not. I'm just surprised is all. The last time I saw you… you tried to disintegrate me with your lightning."

Laxus paused. "Oh, that was you?"

"You forgot about me!" Lucy yelled, insulted that a person who had threatened her, and almost killed her, had forgot about her.

"You were a statue, people look a little different when they're stone." Laxus defended himself quickly.

A silence filled the room. Lucy and Laxus stared at each other, each waiting for the other to respond.

"Thank you… for… saving me." Lucy said stifle, heat rising to her face.

Laxus just nodded, folding his arms.

…

"This atmosphere is so dense." Lucy thought sourly, trying her best to lighten up the mood. "I have to be nice to Laxus, he saved my life. I have to return the favor in any way I can." Lucy thought with a nod.

"That's creepy to nod randomly." Laxus commented.

"Excuse me!" Lucy yelled. "Geez, what's up with you? You didn't have to stick around you know, you could have left."

Laxus eyes looked towards the ground below him. "The old man would kill me if he found out I left a Fairy Tail Mage behind to die." He said softly.

Lucy looked up in surprise but quickly looked away. "I'm… no longer a Fairy Tail Mage." Lucy announced sadly. "What, did you quite?" Laxus eyes narrowed, leaning forward. "I did not! I… I was…" tears began to form in Lucy's eyes again. "Kicked out?"

Lucy nodded slowly.

Laxus eyes widened a bit. "…What did you do?"

"Why would I answer anything to you!" Lucy yelled angrily.

"Cause I saved your life." Laxus said quickly.

Lucy flinched. "Jerk, using that to get your way, it's low."

"Is it really?" Laxus smirked with amusement.

Lucy narrowed her eyes, folding her arms she looked away from him. "I… I don't know. I went on a mission and when I came back… they just…" Lucy couldn't finish.

That caught Laxus's attention. "They kicked you out for no reason?"

"Well… I must have done something… but I don't know what." Lucy said softly.

Laxus became silent. Something was odd about this.

"W-What are you staring at. I told you already didn't I, you can leave." Lucy said quickly, her cheeks puffing out.

"…Nah."

"W-What?" Lucy stuttered.

"I think I'll hang out with you for a bit. This is getting interesting." Laxus smirked. "Wha- No! No I refuse! You can't just barge in here and follow me around!" Lucy yelled in frustration, her cheeks turning red with frustration.

"Technically it will be you following me." Laxus corrected. "You see, since I "saved" your life, you owe me a debt. In 3 days we leave, be ready by then." Laxus said as he rose from his chair and started towards the door.

"W-Wait a minute!" Lucy called.

"Oh yeah, so I guess this makes you my apprentice now. So you must call me Master Laxus from now on." Laxus nodded over his shoulder. "Moron! I'd rather die then call you that!" Lucy yelled in fury, causing Laxus to smirk and leave the room.

Lucy was left, speechless. "W… What just happened?" Lucy murmured softly, trying to recall the events that had just taken place.

-Fairy Tail-

"Lucy… Lucy! Lucy! Where are you!" Natsu ran through the city, his eyes wide with worry and fear. Why wasn't he stronger? He should have never let that happen!

That stupid... That stupid Dark Guild! This was their fault! Lucy was gone… maybe even dead… because of them!

"N-Natsu… What if Lucy… what if she…" Happy was flying next to Natsu, shacking violently, tears streaming down his little blue face. "She's not dead!" Natsu snapped. "There is no way… There is no way our Lucy could be dead!'

**And we end here. Don't worry, there will be an explanation in the next chapter! Please review**


	3. The truth

**All right! Chapter 3! This is where we find out what really went down during the first chapter! ^_^ Hope you all enjoy this chapter too! Thank you all for reviewing**

Master Makarov sighed deeply. In one night, half of his guild had been destroyed, his children were hurt, and his gifted celestial child was missing. He could only think back to that night, when everything began.

-FLASH BACK! -

The guild was loud, as usual. Even with Lucy gone on her solo mission, the guild didn't stop its normal behavior. That very morning the Master had left, for a meeting with Wizard Saints, leaving the mages of Fairy Tail behind to watch the guild.

"Natsu, Gray! Stop destroying the guild!" Jet complained, trying to take at least one nap in peace.

"Pervert!"

"Flame brain!" the two yelled, completely ignoring Jet's comment.

"Fighting? In the guild?" Erza asked in a dark tone, her eyes glinting in the light.

"What fighting? No way Erza, we would never fight. We're best friends right? Right!" Natsu and Gray squeaked wrapping the arms around each other's shoulders and pumping their fists in the air.

The guild sighed at the fire and ice mage. Mirajane chuckled as she placed some tea on the table for Levy.

"Has Lu-Chan come back yet?' Levy asked, looking up from Lucy's book to stare up at the white haired mage.

"Afraid not. She should be back sometime in the next few days though." Mira smiled.

Levy nodded but jumped when Gajeel suddenly popped up next to her, leaning over her shoulder to look at the book in her hands.

"Is that Luigi's book." He asked in a monotone voice.

"It's Lucy." Levy corrected. "And yes, it is. It is actually really good. The details and passion Lu-Chan puts in her stories are absolutely amazing! She should really get this published." Levy cooed, holding the book close to her chest.

"Eh." Gajeel said, leaning against his hand. "What's is it about anyway?"

"Fairy Tail!" Levy smiled, holding up the book to reveal the title. "Fairy Tail Mages and Adventures"

"Eh! It's about us?" Happy cheered, flying over Levy's head to get a better look at the book. By this time the whole guild had looked over at Levy, curiosity in all their eyes.

"Am I in it?" Cana asked, setting her large barrel of alcohol down.

Levy nodded. "We're all in it!"

"Read some! Read some!" Natsu chanted

Levy chuckled. "Okay, I haven't gotten very far, so we can start from the beginning." Levy smiled, turning to the first page. As Levy opened her mouth to begin reading Lucy's book the door opened, causing all the heads of Fairy Tail to turn towards the sound.

Everyone, expecting Lucy or the Master to be standing at the door, sighed in disappointment to see it was a man around 22 years old. He was a little small for his age, with spiky red hair and dark orange eyes.

"Um… hello can we help you?" Mirajane asked, tilting her head at the strange.

The man smirked, his dark orange eyes glinting in the light. "Yes you can. This is Fairy Tail, correct?" The way he asked that sent chills down Levy's spine.

"Yeah, what is it to you?" Gray asked, folding his arms.

"Seems your master is gone…" The man continued, taking another step into the room.

Erza began to get a bad feeling. "Who are you?" she demanded.

She blinked in surprise when the man began to chuckle. "What's so funny!" Natsu demanded, annoyed at this guys attitude.

"I'm just glad is all… seeing how this beautiful guild… will soon be ashes."

"What did you say! Speak up, it's not very manly!" Elfman yelled angrily. Elfman's eyes widened when a sudden dark light hit him into the wall behind him. "Elfman!" Mira gasped, running to her brother's aid.

"Hey!' Cana yelled, pulling out her cards. "You wanna fight?'

The mages of Fairy Tail rose from their seats, anger filling their eyes. The man simply smirked.

"My name is Roe." He said with the wave of his hand, revealing a dark guild symbol, which was not familiar.

"That symbol, I have never seen one like that before." Levy said softly.

"Neither has Juvia." Juvia nodded.

"All right! I'm all fired up!" Natsu cried, flames appearing in his hands.

"Natsu wait." Erza snapped. "Why would only one person threaten an entire guild?"

"Does it matter, he attacked one of our Nakama! It doesn't matter if there are a thousand of them! Hurting our Nakama is not okay!" Natsu yelled in fury, charging forward.

Roe smirked at Natsu approached. "The Salamander, correct?"

Only a foot away from punching Roe right in the face, Natsu's eyes widened when his body suddenly froze, unable to move.

"W-What?" He whispered, trying to no avail to move.

"Natsu, why did you stop?" Gray demanded.

"I can't move Ice head!" Natsu snapped back.

Roe smirked as a girl, with light grey hair and black eyes, came into the room.

"I am Mist, my powers unable all who I which to halt all movements." Mist said in an even tone.

Roe took this as his chance and bent down, swiping at Natsu's feet, knocking him down. As soon as Natsu hit the ground, he was sent shooting backwards into the corner of the room by Roe's foot.

"W…Why you-" Natsu whined in pain, his body limp from Mist's powers.

This angered Fairy Tail even more. "How dare you!" Erza yelled as Fairy Tail ran forward.

Roe smirked. "So the battle begins!" As he called out these words several more mages, bearing a mark similar to his burst through Fair Tails doors.

Swords clashed, punches were thrown, and tables were destroyed.

During the battle, Happy had flown over to Natsu, hoping to help his friend as best as he could.

"Happy!" Mira begged, now in her Satan Soul mode. "Please, go get the master! He needs to know what is going on!"

"What? But I can't just leave-" "Go Happy, don't worry about us… we're Fairy Tail Mages, remember?" Natsu smirked up at his partner. Happy eyes filled with tears and he nodded.

"I'll be back as soon as I can!" He called, flying out one of the Fairy Tail windows.

But the wheel of fate did not seem to be on Fairy Tail's side that evening. With Mist's power, Fairy Tail was left defenseless.

"This was too easy!" Roe laughed. "To think, I actually though this would be a challenge. With Fairy Tail's mighty name and history, but oh was I wrong!" Roe laughed mockingly as the Fairy Tail mages were pushed towards the corner where Natsu lay, helpless.

Erza hissed cursed words under her breath, trying to get control over her body.

"Roe!"

Roe turned towards the voice with an annoyed look. "What?" he snapped.

"There's a problem. We just got word that one more Fairy Tail member has just returned from the train station!"

"What? Which one?"

"We're not sure." The man said softly.

"Shall we get rid of them Roe?" Mist asked softly.

"Is it Master?" Erza thought hopefully, glaring at Roe.

Roe stared at the collapsed Fairy Tail members and smirked. "No. I have a much better idea." He smirked, his expression darkening. "I often heard that what hurt a Fairy Tail Mage the most, what really made them break down… is when they witness the death of a comrade… right before their eyes…"

Realization struck.

"Don't you dare!" Mirajane yelled.

"Sira, you know what to do." Roe barked.

Sira, a small mage with a hood over his head nodded. Lifting up his hand, which began to glow, a barrier appeared around Fairy Tail, trapping them in one corner of the room.

Roe walked up to the barrier and leaned against it. "This barrier stops all magic from being used. Not to mention it is sound proof and practically makes all of you invisible. Though you can still see and hear what is going on, on the outside. " Roe explained. "Idiot! What is the point of this! Gajeel demanded.

Roe blinked and looked over to Sira. "What did that guy with the pierced face say?"

"He asked what was the point of the barrier."

"Ah good question metal face." Roe smirked. "Allow me to answer that question with this. Toia!" Roe looked towards Toia, a mage with bright blond hair with silver streaks and dark purple eyes, flickered her wrist.

Fairy Tail's eyes widened in horror as the dark guild mages began to transform…. Into them.

"W-What!' Natsu gasped as he stared at Roe, who now looked like him.

The Fairy Tail imposters began to laugh.

"I wonder how much it would hurt to be killed by your own friends." Roe thought out loud, tapping his hand on the table next to him.

Natsu snapped. He began to scream as loud as he could, his eyes ragging with anger. Luckily the barrier was sound proof, so you could not hear the fowl language being yelled inside.

Toia, who had transformed into Levy, picked up the book she had dropped and stared down at it. "Fairy Tail Mages and Adventures, by Lucy Heartfillia." She read aloud. "Eh? What the heck is this trash?"

"Don't touch that!" Levy screamed.

Sira, who had transformed into Gray looked at Toia. "The blue headed one said not to touch that." He explained.

"Eh?" Toia's expression darkened. "Is this important to you, huh? You little brat?" Toia laughed mockingly, waving the book in the air.

"The Fairy Tail brat is approaching!" One smirked.

"No!" Natsu tried to sit up, but it was no use. He was out of energy, and Mist's magic was too strong.

"Positions everyone… the fun is just beginning." Roe said, turning away from the barrier and sitting down on one of the chairs.

Everyone else followed suit.

"We have to do something!" Gray yelled, hoping whoever it was who was about to walk through those doors was smart enough to just go home instead.

"Everyone I'm back-!"

"…No…" Natsu thought, he throat becoming suddenly very dry.

Lucy Heartfillia stood at the door to Fairy Tail staring at everyone confused.

"Lucy… oh please…not Lucy…" Natsu shock his head, hoping this was all just some sort of bad nightmare.

"What are you doing back?" The fake Cana asked harshly, smacking her large wine barrel on the ground bellow her, causing Lucy to flinched.

"Lucy! What are you doing here! Get out of here!" Cana yelled, trying to lift up her head.

"I…. I finished my mission." Lucy smiled weakly, walking down the steps and towards the bar.

"Ha, right. You probably ran away." Fake Cana scoffed. Lucy eyes widened with hurt as she sat down on one of the chairs.

"Lucy would never run away!" Erza argued, anger rising with in her.

"No, I would never run away-" Lucy tried to defend herself.

"Please! You run away from everything, then make us clean up after you." The fake Gajeel hissed, folding his arms across his chest.

Gajeel flinched. "No… that's not true. It's usually her who has to apologize for our screw ups!" he argued.

Lucy flinched again. "I-"

"Why did you even come back? To think, I thought we finally got ride of you, there goes my hopes." Lucy whirled around towards the fake Evergreen in shock.

Evergreen closed her eyes in horror. "No…" Though she had not known Lucy very long, she would never which for her to leave Fairy Tail. Lucy was always so happy and joyful. She made Fairy Tail shine the way it was suppose to.

"Well? What are you still doing here?" the fake Jet snapped angrily. "Or do you even understand anything at all?"

"J-Jet." Lucy whispered in shock. "D-Did I do something wrong?" Lucy choked out softly.

"Of course not Lucy! You did nothing wrong! Just get out of here while you still have a chance!" Jet yelled, begging that Lucy could some how hear his plea. "Something wrong? Everything went wrong ever since you showed up!" Lucy eyes widened in horror when she realized it was the fake Mira who had spoken up.

"M-Mira…"

"No Lucy!" Tears welled up in Mira's eyes. "You were one of the best things to happen to Fairy Tail! When you showed up a new light was born inside Fairy Tail! Don't listen to them Lucy! Please run! You have to get out of here!"

"Nee-Chan." Elfman said softly, furious to how they had made his precious older sister cry, and was filling Lucy's head with these lies. It wasn't manly at all! It was cowardly!

"All ways having to save you, listening to you complain about every little thing! Never once have you thought about how we felt." The fake Gray yelled angrily, rising from his chair.

"She's always thought about us!" Gray snapped. "When Phantom came she didn't even care about her own safety, we had to force her to hid. She cried tears for us, and comforted us!" Gray struggled to try and hold back his own tears.

"All she has ever done is care and love us!" Levy cried.

"G-Gray… I…" "Save it Lucy, your just a little weakling who can't even protect herself, let alone her comrades."

"E-Erza." Tears began to blur Lucy's vision.

"Stop it!" Erza demanded. "Lucy's not a weakling! She one of the bravest mages I have ever meet."

"Lucy's a strong wonderful mage of Fairy Tail!" Juvia screamed, shocking herself. She thought she had always hated Lucy, for trying to steal her Gray from her… but… she had never really done anything wrong had she… it was all Juvia's imagination.

"Oh goody, you're crying again!"

Lucy froze at the sound of that voice.

"Stop it!" Natsu screamed when he realized it was now Roe's turn to talk.

"Natsu…." Lucy choked out.

"No Lucy! That's not me! That's not me!" Natsu cried out.

"Don't you get it yet Lucy! We don't want you here! To think, I dragged you here because I felt sorry for you, and now I realize that it's been the biggest regret of my life! You never should have joined Fairy Tail!"

Natsu felt his heart being crushed as he watched tears begin to fall from Lucy's eyes. Lucy looked towards the ground, her eyes wide in fear and shock. How did the know though? How did they know that it was Natsu who brought Lucy to Fairy Tail? Had they searched Fairy Tails back ground before attacking?

They seemed to know Lucy's back ground well enough, so it was possible.

"Natsu I'm so sorry-" "Do you ever shut up!"

"Lu-Chan!" Levy cried out as the fake Natsu punched Lucy, sending her into the air and crashing into one of the tables not to far from the imprisoned Fairy Tail. "Leave her alone!" Droy begged.

"Stop it! Please!' Bisca begged.

Lucy held her cheek in pain as it began to swell up.

"You little weakling!"

Lucy gasped in pain as the fake Gajeel kicked her in the back, causing her to tumble forward, smacking into the ground.

Gajeel gritted his teeth in anger.

Fairy Tail could only watch in horror as their Nakama was brutally beat. Lucy's screams echoing through the air.

"Author… ha! Don't make me laugh!" the fake Levy hissed, tossing Lucy's story to the ground. Lucy was bleeding badly now. With several scratches and bruises covering her arms. It only became worst when the fake Erza used one of her swords to cut a large gash in Lucy's side.

"No! Lu-Chan is an amazing author! I love all her stories!" Levy began to cry now, trying her best to reach out to Lucy.

"Run Lucy! Why aren't you running? Why are you just taking all of this!" Erza demanded, tears streaming down her own face as well.

Lucy crumpled to the ground, her eyes dull and her body weak.

"L…Lucy…" Natsu voice was low, as if trying to beg her to run for it.

"I'm so sorry…. Everyone.' Lucy cried softly, her body shacking with fear. "I'll… I'll leave now." As Lucy stumbled to her feet, shacking violently as she held her bleeding side.

"Those wounds… Lucy you idiot! Why… Why didn't you run sooner!" Cana cried, her tears falling to the ground below her.

Lucy paused to look over her shoulder.

"What are you waiting for? Get lost!"

Lucy gasped in pain as she felt the fake Natsu's punch her back, sending her crashing through the front door.

"Lucy! You… you can't leave… we don't want you to leave!" Fairy Tail yelled.

"Never come back!" Elfman yelled.

"Lucy! You have to come back! You're a member of Fairy Tail!" Alzack begged.

Though the guild could no longer see Lucy… they could… some how feel her presence disappearing. Leaving them forever.

"LU-CHAN!" Levy cried out.

Lucy was already gone though… forever….

"…Lucy…" Natsu's bangs shadowed his eyes as he repeatedly whispered her name.

The fake Fairy Tail returned inside the guild, evil smirks across their faces.

"That wasn't exactly how I planned for that to go." Roe shrugged.

"The look on her face was priceless!" Toia laughed hysterically.

"Those wounds… I doubt she'll survive the night!" Another laughed.

"You…" The dark guild paused to looked at Fairy Tail.

"How dare you…" Natsu hissed. "HOW DARE YOU HURT OUR LUCY LIKE THAT!" he screamed in fury.

Mist's eyes widened as Natsu rose to his feet. "Mist… what's going on?" Roe demanded. "I-I don't know, my magic is no longer working on him." Mist stuttered, taking a shaky step back.

"We'll…" Erza began to rise. "Never forgive scum like you!"

Mist flinched.

"Sira… what are they saying?" Roe asked, looking at Sira, who looked horrified.

"Dragon punch!" Natsu screamed, hitting the barrier as hard as he could, causing it to crack.

"T-Their breaking through Sira's barrier?"

"I-Impossible!" Roe stuttered. "Roe!" Natsu screamed, punching the barrier once more.

The rest of Fairy Tail began to rise as well, joining in on breaking the barrier.

The dark guild took a step back in fear.

"I'LL KILL YOU! ROE!" Natsu screamed, breaking through the barrier and charging forward.

Roe jumped in fear as Natsu's body was engulfed in his own flames. "For Lucy!" Erza screamed as Fairy Tail charged forward, side by side.

Fairy Tail's true power was unleashed in that moment. For a member of Fairy Tail was family… no matter whom they may be or what they acted like, they were family… and as they say… Mess with one Fairy, and you mess with all.

"ROE!" Natsu screamed, smashing Roe into the ground, making a large crater.

The battle had ended quickly, all had fled, leaving Fairy Tail to stand alone in silence in their destroyed… and now empty guild.

"…We… We have to go after her!" Erza snapped everyone back into their senses. "She's hurt, she can't go far with… with those wounds." Erza gripped her sword tightly, gritting her teeth.

"Ah!' Natsu yelled, jumping to his feet and rushing towards the door. Everyone quickly followed.

But the search helped none. She had not gone to the hospital or her home. She couldn't have left because everything she owned was still at her home.

Natsu could not longer smell her scent either.

"Maybe… Maybe she ran into the woods." Juvia suggested softly.

"Or the train station!" Gray added quickly. "Knowing Lucy she would have…" Everyone froze. That's right. The imposters of Fairy Tail had told her to leave, never come back. She would have taken that to heart and left as soon as she could. She must have ran straight to the train station as soon as she left the guild!

"Lucy!" Natsu yelled, running towards the train Station as fast as he could. It was raining…. Maybe because Juvia was sad. Or was it because the whole guild was sad?

"She… she couldn't have left all ready… she just… she couldn't have!" Mira yelled, lifting up her dress to run forward.

As the Fairy Tail mages approached the train station, they couldn't help but notice a familiar blue cat flying towards them.

"Everyone! I brought the master!" Happy called, waving to them.

But it was too late… the master had just gotten there a little too late… because she was all ready gone.

**And we end here. This had got to be the longest chapter I have ever written! 0.0 I hope you all liked it! Please review ^_^**


	4. The place I want to go

**New chapter ^_^ I'm so excited! I hope all of you will continue to enjoy and review my story ^_^**

It had been a week since Lucy had left Fairy Tail, and in all honesty… She was starting to think that Laxus was just making up a plan as they went along. It was one thing to say that they were heading to the next town, but they weren't really heading to any certain point.

Maybe this is how it is suppose to be though after you leave somewhere. Your not really suppose to know the actual destination you need to go.

Traveling with Laxus though did not help.

So far, the training Laxus had put Lucy through had been torture. Her training included, running up a steep mountainside during the rain, wrestling a large bear for a fish that Laxus wanted, being attacked with lightning during the night, (All thanks to Laxus) Holding up a medium size boulder while Laxus jumped up and down on top, and scavenging for food through monster infested woods without her summoning keys. This was not the only problem in this journey though.

Laxus's directions were random. Go left, right, up, left again, back up a bit, turn to the left, skip a little bit, then dash forward, make sure to stop then go right again.

Most of the time his directions ended up leading them into a cave, forest, or some random mountains.

She hadn't seen a town since they had left Oshibana. Lucy had suggested they take a train to reach the next town, but Laxus had argued that walking is better for the heart and soul.

And even though that very well may be true… its not very heart warming when you figure out 3 days later… that you are lost.

Lucy pulled her new jacket closer to her body. She was lucky that Laxus was nice enough to buy her a new outfit, containing black shorts, a white tang top, and leather coat that went down to her knees.

"Laxus… where are we going again?" Lucy asked, trailing behind the tall blond.  
>"The next town." Laxus answered.<p>

"You said that a week ago, and the trip was suppose to be a 3 day travel." Lucy replied harshly. She couldn't help but blinked when she saw Laxus's right shoulder twitch ever so slightly.

"Training time!" Laxus exclaimed.

"Eh?" Lucy blinked, stopping to stare at the back of Laxus's head. Laxus whirled around and smirked.

"You're my apprentice right? So you have to do what I say!"

Lucy flinched. "You know I never agreed to that, right?"

"Details." Laxus waved Lucy's comment off. "Now, climb up that tree." Laxus ordered, pointing to a tall oak tree to his right.  
>"Why?" Lucy asked, staring at the tree, all ready trying to determine the best way for climbing such a high tree.<p>

"That fresh air up there is good for your lungs, it will help with upper arm strength, and in the end you'll get a good view of the forest." Laxus explained, folding his well-toned arms across his chest.

"…Understood." Lucy sighed in defeat, trudging over to the tree. She paused and looked over her shoulder at Laxus, who motioned for her to continue. Lucy glared at him, then pulled herself up using the first branch.

"Just call when you reach the top." Laxus smirked, sitting down on the ground below him, his legs and arms crossed.

"Slave driver." Lucy muttered, as she climbed up to the next couple branches. This tree was surprising very thick and had many branches.

When Lucy finally reached the top, she smiled. This view was definitely worth the climb.

The tree looked over a lot of the forest, and Lucy could feel a nice cool breeze she could not feel when she was on the ground.

"Hey! You up there yet!" Laxus called up to her.

"Yeah!" Lucy called back to him.

"Good! Now… Can you see a town from up there?"

Lucy flinched. So that was the real reason he wanted her to climb up here. He was just to lazy to do it himself?

"You lazy bum!" Lucy screeched, looking across the forest for an indications of a near by town. Her eyes widened at the sight of one, maybe 3 or 4 miles away.  
>"There is a town in that direction, maybe 3 or 4 miles away!" Lucy proclaimed down at Laxus who nodded.<br>"Lets go then, you wasted enough time climbing the tree." Laxus shrugged with a sigh.

Anger burned in Lucy's eyes. "Why you-"

"Hurry up slacker! We have to get to the town before night fall or else-"  
>"LUUUCYYYY DROP KICK!"<p>

"GACK!" Laxus gasped when he felt Lucy's boot implant into his face, causing both of them to smack into the ground.

Birds fled from the trees they were sitting in from the sound of the crash.

"Hey! What was that for!" Laxus demanded angrily, holding his bruised head.  
>"For being a jerk! Just because you're too lazy to climb a tree yourself doesn't mean you can make me do it!" Lucy snapped back.<p>

"Who are you calling lazy!"

"You, you moron!"

"Why you-!" Laxus paused when Lucy suddenly hunched over, a painful cry coming from her mouth. "H-Hey, you all right?' Laxus asked quickly.

"Y-Yeah. Its just my…" Lucy motioned to the wound on her side, which was not completely healed.

Laxus understood. "Idiot, you shouldn't drop kick someone from that height in your condition." Laxus scolded.  
>"Oh? And holding up the weight of you AND a boulder is ten times better?" Lucy glared at him.<p>

Laxus flinched. "It was only for ten minutes, and it doesn't stretch that area as much as a drop kick would." Laxus defended quickly, folding his arms and looking away.

Lucy rolled her eyes as she struggled to her feet. "I'm fine anyway, it's no big deal-" Lucy's eyes widened as pain enveloped her body and she fell forward.

Lucy gasped when she fell onto Laxus's back. Laxus who had crouched down and turned around so she could fall on his back glanced over his shoulder at her.

"You shouldn't be so reckless." He said softly as he lifted Lucy's legs up so that he was officially giving her a piggyback ride.

Lucy could feel her face heat up and fell silent.  
>"When we get to the next town we can stop at a hospital and get your wounds double checked." Laxus offered.<p>

Lucy nodded quickly as she leaned her head against Laxus's shoulder. His smell was intoxicating, like pine needles and a freshly cutgrass, yet there was still that sent of charcoal from his hair.

His hair…

It was softer then Lucy expected. It brushed softly against her cheek whenever he moved his head to take a look around.

"Hey… Laxus…" Lucy mumbled.

"What?" Laxus asked, still looking forward.  
>"Sorry for drop kicking you before…"<p>

"Don't worry about it. You had nice form."

Lucy chuckled and nodded. After a couple minutes of walking Lucy sighed. "… Your going the wrong way you know."

Laxus flinched. "No I'm not. You said the town was this way." Laxus argued, looking forward.  
>"No, I said that you had to go North, we are going South."<p>

"You never said North! You just said "this direction!"" Laxus argued.

"All right, fine maybe it did, but that doesn't change the fact that you are going the wrong way. This is the way we came from." Lucy smirked at Laxus's red face.

"Shut up!" Laxus snapped whirling around and running in the other direction.

Lucy laughed as she held on tightly to Laxus.

Laughing, something Lucy thought she would never be able to do. Its in a way slightly nostalgic. Sort of the same feeling Lucy got when Natsu offered to bring her to Fairy Tail.

That's something Laxus and Natsu had in common, wasn't it? They were both able to give Lucy that joyful feeling in her heart.

"You really are a strange guy… Laxus Dreyar." Lucy whispered softly.

"Huh? What did you say?" Laxus asked over his shoulder.

"Nothing you moron, your running too fast!' Lucy covered up quickly.

"What? I'm nice enough to carry you and you complain!" Laxus yelled angrily, picking up his speed.

-Fairy Tail-

A week… a whole week had passed by and there was no one clue to where Lucy had gone. Fairy Tail was a mess.

No one had taken a mission and refused to get any sleep. Team Natsu… didn't even feel like team Natsu anymore with their celestial mage missing.

Natsu and Gray were not fighting, Erza didn't even look at cake, and Happy… Happy often ventured off, not willing to let anyone see his tears.

Mirajane and Levy hadn't said much since Lucy had left. Both often looking upon Lucy's book, hoping it would give some clue to where she would be.

"Master…"

Master Makarov looked up at Juvia, who was staring at him with sad eyes.

"Yes Juvia?" he asked softly.

"J… Juvia wishes to go on this mission." Juvia held up the paper shakily, not wanting to change her decision.

Everyone who was present in Fairy Tail looked up in surprise.  
>"Are you sure Juvia? I assumed you, as the others, would want to stay and continue to look for Lucy." Makarov said, a little shocked.<p>

"That is what Juvia intends to do." Juvia said, determination deep in her eyes. Makarov blinked.

"Yes it is true that Lucy might have ran into the forests, or just out of town… but… but there is also a chance she got on a train. Which means she could be in another town. If this is true, we would have a much higher chance of finding her if we looked in the towns we have missions in."

The room fell silent. Juvia was right… she was completely right. There was a much higher chance that Lucy got on a train instead of just running into the forest. She could be just one town away, sitting in a hospital beg, waiting for them to come find her.

"So… please let Juvia take this mission." Juvia exclaimed, her hand no longer shacking.

Makarov stared at Juvia for a long time. "As you wish Juvia." Makarov rose from his spot. "I am giving all the same permission as Juvia!" Makarov proclaimed, gaining every ones attention. "Whenever you take a mission, you may look for Lucy afterwards, but you must complete the mission NO exceptions! As a parent it is not exceptional for one of my children to be missing, we must find Lucy and bring her home!"

"AHH!" Everyone nodded, lifting their hands into the air, forming the Fairy Tail message with their two fingers.

Juvia jumped in surprise as the whole guild rushed to the request board, desperately trying to find a mission.

"Juvia." Makarov said, gaining her attention.

"Yes master?" she asked quietly.

"Good luck on your mission… I hope you find her.' Makarov said, handing her the approved paper for the mission.

Juvia took the paper and smiled. "Juvia will, Juvia most definitely will!" she said, turning towards the exit.

Levy and Mirajane watched Juvia go and turned back to Lucy's book.

"Hey… Mira-Chan." Levy said softly.

"Yes Levy?" Mira asked, looking up at the blue headed mage, her eyes tired from lost of sleep.  
>"If you were Lu-Chan… where would you go?"<p>

Mira blinked. "If I were… Lucy?" she mumbled. Where would she go if she were Lucy? Back to her father… no, she would never do that. Maybe… A town she's most comfortable at.

Where would Lucy go?

-Lucy and Laxus-

"Ah! This feel's nice!" Lucy smiled as she stuck her blistered feet into a large bowl of hot water. The nurse smiled and nodded. "Your wounds are all bandaged up, if there is anything else you need please don't hesitate to ask." The nurse smiled one again before leaving the room.

Laxus sighed. "This isn't the town I wanted to go to." He muttered.  
>"You sound like a 5 year old." Lucy smirked, causing Laxus to glare at her. "Where were you planning on going to anyway?"<p>

"There a town not to far from here that I need to stop by to tie up some loose ends." Laxus explained.  
>"After that?" Lucy pushed.<br>"I don't know." Laxus shrugged, causing Lucy to sweat drop and sigh.  
>"You have to have somewhere you want to go." Lucy whined, splashing some water at Laxus with her foot. Laxus smirked and shrugged once again.<br>"Not really."  
>"That's lame. How do you set a goal if you don't have somewhere you want to go." Lucy scolded. Laxus thought for a moment, taking all of Lucy's words into deep consideration.<br>"Well… where do you want to go?" Laxus asked, glancing at her.

Lucy blinked and stared at Laxus dumbfounded. "Me?"

Laxus nodded.

"Well… I uh… I suppose the place I want to go to is…" Lucy thought for a moment. She had been to so many places all ready, it was so hard to choose. It finally came to her. An old child hood dream surfacing her memories like an explosion of inspiration.

"I… I want to go to Heaven's Groove!" she announced, causing Laxus to jump in surprise.

"Heavens Groove?" he questioned, folding his arms and stare at her confused.  
>Lucy nodded. "I've always wanted to see that place. There is a festival that's celebrated there every year. It is in 6 months though. I never got to go when I was living with my dad, and I didn't really think about when I was in Fairy Tail. So, the only place I really want to see is Heavens Groove!" Lucy's eyes beamed with joy as she talked about her childhood fantasy.<p>

Laxus could only stare. Heaven's groove was a 6 day travel by train, 2 day trip on a boat, then you would have to go another train for 3 days when you got to shore.

"That is a long way away." Laxus folded his arms behind his head and stared out the window.

"Yeah." Lucy nodded, looking down at her feet. The room fell silent.  
>"Okay." Laxus nodded.<p>

Lucy looked up in surprise. "What?" she asked, tilting her head.

"It will take us around 4 or so months to get to the sea if we walk, then we can take a boat. When we get to shore we can walk the rest of the way. If there are no interruptions of constant stops, we can get there with 2 or 3 weeks to spare before the festival." Laxus turned away from Lucy and stared out the window.

Lucy stared at Laxus, bewildered. Was he actually saying… they were going to Heavens Groove.  
>"Laxus… you... we don't have to go if you don't want to." Lucy said quickly.<br>"I told you didn't I. I had nothing else to do after I tie up the loose ends in the next town. So, if we go to Heaven's Groove we at least have somewhere to go. After the festival we can figure out what to do from there." Laxus smirked over his shoulder. "Besides, if we walk it will give you more training time."

Lucy flinched. "…R…Right…" she said stiffly. But she couldn't help but smile. "Laxus… you didn't have to do any of this you know… this wasn't apart of your little deal." Lucy announced.

"I know." Laxus said quickly.

**And we end the chapter here! I hope you all liked it, and please review!**


	5. PLOT TWISTS!

**New chapter! And just so everyone knows, this story first started after Laxus left Fairy Tail, but a little before the gang meets the Oracion Seis! Hope that clears up any confusion**

Lucy sighed as she trudged behind Laxus, who once again, seemed to be lost but either refused not to say anything or was just that dumb.

Lucy decided not to say a word, knowing they were luckily headed in the right direction, just seemed to be lost as to were the next town was.

Lucy looked up towards the clouds, her hand swinging limply at her side. How long had it been now? 2 maybe 3 weeks since she had left Fairy Tail?

How was everyone doing without her? She had read in a recent magazine that Fairy Tail had been doing very well lately. That each mission they had Fairy Tail had often finished using only half of the time is was suppose to take.

They… were doing so much better without her.

"Hey, will you stop sulking back there?" Laxus snapped over his shoulder, causing Lucy to jump in surprise. "I can feel your bad vibes from up here." Laxus groaned, turning back around to face the dirt path in front of them.

Lucy blinked as she stared at Laxus's back. What was with him?

Maybe it was the "loose ends" in the next town that Laxus kept talking about. What was so important anyway? Laxus seemed so on edge since they had left a couple days ago.

Though Lucy had to admit, she also felt that there was something a little off lately. The atmosphere of the woods and sky just didn't feel the same.

Atmosphere of the woods and sky? What does that mean? Oh great, she was talking in some kind of self-mind riddle, wasn't she?

Lucy smacked her forehead with a small hiss. She placed her hand on her hip, her wrist bumping into the sword that was swinging at her side.

Her new celestial sword that Laxus got for her. Since Lucy was broke and could afford nothing at all, Laxus was kind enough to buy her a new weapon. Not that she was complaining or anything. It was a very amazing sword, it helped her control her celestial powers more and she wouldn't have to rely on her spirits for ever battle.

Her… spirits. It seemed like forever since she had summoned them. With Laxus and her new trusty sword by her side, she didn't need to depend on them as much.

Even though she was fine and told her spirits not to worry, she could still sense they were all on edge.

She couldn't help but remember to that day she was still in the hospital at Oshibana.

**(FLASH BACK)**

It was 2 days after Laxus had found her and brought her to Oshibana. Her wounds were starting to heal but she was not ready to start walking around yet.

She knew her stellar spirits could sense she was hurt, and were probably wondering if she was okay or how she got her wounds….but… how could she tell them? Aquarius would probably laugh at her, wouldn't she?

Lucy was sitting up in her bed, staring down at her keys, which were lying, neatly on her lap.

Lucy's eyes saddened. "Open gate of lion, Loki. Open gate of the Maiden, Virgo." Lucy said softly, turning the keys to the side. There was a small light and the two stellar spirits appeared in front of her bed.

"You summoned me, princess." Virgo said softly, bowing her head.

Loki was bowing slightly as well. "Your prince is here." He smirked, looking up.

Both of the stellar spirits froze at the sight of their beloved summoner.

"H-Hi.' Lucy grinned weakly.

"L-Lucy… those wounds…" Loki rushed to Lucy side. "What happened? I knew you were hurt but… but…" his eyes were wide with anger. Who could have done this to his precious Lucy!

Lucy looked down sadly. "These? This is nothing, its no big deal." She said softly. "Princess, are you in pain?" Virgo asked, looking at Lucy with worry, which was something, you didn't see often.

"Really I'm fine. The doctor said I should be back to normal in a couple weeks." Lucy chuckled nervously. "I just… the reason I summoned both of you was to… to um… to tell you that…" How could she say it?

Loki and Virgo stared at Lucy, confused. "Lucy.' Loki said softly, taking her hand.

"I…I've decided I'm going to go solo from Fairy Tail." Lucy said quickly. "I... I need to get stronger. I've depended on my spirits too much… I'm weak." Lucy looked down sadly.

"No Lucy, your not weak. Not at all!" Loki argued. It was Lucy who saved his life after all. She had forced the door to the spirit open… something that was almost impossible.

"Princess… how did you get injured in such a way?" Virgo asked.

"Oh these? There… um…" Oh great, she was going to start crying again. No, she had to be strong. She couldn't let them worry about her. "I… fell and slipped on a mountain side." Lucy lied. What a pathetic lie that was, but it was too late to take it back.

Loki looked over Lucy's wounds, noticing one very large spot on her side was bandaged up. These wounds seemed more magic related then a simple slip of a mountainside.

"Lucy." Loki said sternly, causing her to flinch. "You can trust us."

Virgo took Lucy's other hand and stared at her.

Lucy body began to shack. She looked down, trying to conceal her eyes with her bangs. She was crying again. "Its just… I was so weak… I know I am. I know… but I… I thought I could trust them… they were my family." Lucy sniffed.

"Who Lucy?" Loki pushed, gripping her hand softly.

"I went on a mission, for my rent… my stupid rent. I finished it and came back… but… but when I returned…" Lucy winced in pain when her began to hurt again, but she didn't care. She leaned her head down, resting it on Loki's shoulder. "Lucy." Loki whispered in surprise.

"I loved them all! I loved Fairy Tail so much… I don't know what I did wrong… that's why… that's why I have to become stronger… I can't… I can't stand being called weak by them again…" Lucy sobbed.

Loki eyes widened and he looked at Virgo who looked shock.

"Lucy… You're not weak… I'm sorry Lucy. I broke my promise." Loki wrapped his arms around Lucy, pulling her into a tight embrace. "I couldn't protect you." Loki whispered softly.

"Princess." Virgo whispered, holding Lucy's hand tight, wrapping her arms around Lucy as well.

Fairy tail. Loki grew angry at the sound of it. Lucy was one of the greatest mages he had ever known. She saved his life when no one else could have. It was her who saved him from falling into his own darkness.

How dare Fairy Tail lay a single finger on her. After all she did for them… but then… why would they hurt her like this? He may not have been in Fairy Tail long, but he knew how much everyone depended on each other. They were all family.

Even if Lucy was weak in their eyes, it is unforgivable to hurt her like this! He would get them back for this, if it was the last thing he ever did.

Little did these three know though, there was a certain blond headed lightning mage right outside the door, listening to the whole conversation.

**-Present time-**

Lucy snapped out of her thoughts when a sudden scream filled the air. 'Laxus." Lucy gasped. "Did you hear that?" Lucy looked around wildly. "Yeah." Laxus nodded. "It's coming from that direction." Laxus began to run forward, Lucy right behind him. Laxus cut through parts of the forest but came to a stop at a large clearing.

Lucy stopped next to him and looked left and right. "Who do you think it was?" Lucy asked, trying to regain her normal breathing.

"I'm guessing the girl running away from those punks." Laxus said bluntly, pointing forward.

Lucy flinched and looked forward. A girl with elbow length dark blue hair and light brown eyes ran towards them, her yellow and blue stripped dress waving around, wing shaped designs covered her ankles and forearms.

"Who is that?" Lucy asked.

"I don't know, how about we ask those dark guild members who are chasing her." Laxus suggested, a dark sarcasm in his voice. "Dark guild?" Lucy gasped, trying to get a better look at the men. He was right, the marks of Eisenwald guild were tattooed on their bodies.

"Well… let's continue." Laxus said turning away. "Laxus!" Lucy scolded. "We have to help her! She's in danger."

"Why should we help her? For all we know she could be responsible for a death in their guild. An eye for an eye as the saying goes." Laxus shrugged. "A 12 year old girl killed a member of the Eisenwald guild?" Lucy asked sarcastically, folding her arms across her chest.

Laxus paused. "That was just a theory."

Lucy's glare never faltered. "Laxus." She said sternly.

Laxus stared back, neither one willing to back down.

"I'm not wasting my time on something like this." He said quickly, looking away.

Lucy flinched. "Your such a jerk Laxus!" She snapped at him. "Fine, if your not going to help, then I will." Lucy turned away from Laxus, and ran forward.

Laxus looked at her in surprise and watched her go. "…Idiot… why can't you just care about your own well being for once." He muttered.

-Lucy-

"Ah ha-ha!" One of the men laughed as he grabbed the girl by the arm. "We've got you now little brat. Now, what did you say about stopping the Oracion Seis?" he sneered evilly.

The girl whimpered in fear, looking around for a companion that didn't seem to be near.

"Charle!" she cried, trying to use her powers to escape the men's death grip, but it was no use, her powers just wouldn't appear.

"Now, time for you to pay you little brat!" One sneered, lifting up his fist, ready to punch the girl in the face. As he brought his fist down, a large SNAP like a whip was heard throughout the clearing. "GAH!" the man screeched in pain, crumbling to the ground clutching his arm, which was bleeding. "What the- GACK!" another snap filled the clearing as a large whip smacked the guy in the face, sending him stumbling back.

The small girl blinked in surprise, looking around for whoever had just saved her.

"Hey! Don't you know it's not nice to pick on ladies?" A voice demanded.

Everyone turned around, their eyes widened at the sight of Lucy. Her whip held tightly in her left hand, her eyes shadowed by her bangs.

"Why you, this doesn't concern you!" the 4 remaining mages yelled. Lucy didn't give them much time to react and charge forward her whip at her side.

She ducked down and used her hand to push her self up, kicking 1 of the 4 men in the face.

"W-What the- is she a mage?" the other said shakily, taking a few steps back. "Does it matter, get her!" the leader ordered as the 4 men charged forward.

Lucy smirked. Whirling her whip around with a quick snap of her wrist, she wrapped her whip around one of the men's wrist.

"Take this!" she yelled, pulling back and using her strength to lift the guy into the air and slam into the other three. "Ugg.' They groaned in pain. "This… brat is…"

"Run for it!" one squealed. As if that was the magic word, the 4 scrambled to their feet and fled out of the clearing.

Lucy smirked as she watched them flee. "Cowards. Picking on a little girl, how sick can you get?' she sighed. Speaking of which, Lucy looked towards the girl, who was cowering behind one of the trees, watching her. "Um, excuse me, are you all right? They didn't hurt you, did they?" Lucy called to the girl, as she rolled up her whip and attacked it to her belt.

The girl blinked. "Who… are you?" she asked softly.

Lucy almost slapped herself. "Oh I'm so sorry, my name is Lucy Heartfillia. It's nice to meet you." Lucy smiled, bowing her head.

The girl stared at Lucy for a long time before stepping out from behind the tree. "T-Thank you for saving me." She squeaked. "My name is-" the girl's eyes widened in horror. "WATCH OUT!"

Lucy's eyes widened. There was someone behind her. Lucy whirled around, reaching for her sword.

One of the dark guild members had come back, a knife in his hand. "DIE!" he yelled, as he brought the knife down. Lucy's eyes widened, memories of that night with Fairy Tail flooding back. She froze. This was it.

"Lucy!'

Lucy gasped in surprise when a body flew in front of her, their arm blocking the attack. They dark guild members eyes widened in horror as he was hit back, hitting a boulder and falling unconscious.

Long black coat with fur… spiky blonde hair… (_**Little shout out to Skymia: Thanks for the advice ^_^)**_

"L…Laxus?" Lucy whispered softly.

"Idiot!" He snapped, whirling around and smacking her on the head. "Why did you freeze up like that! He could have killed you!"

Lucy held her head in pain, looking up at Laxus with a frown. "I-I'm the idiot?" she demanded.

"Yes, yes you are!" Laxus yelled angrily, waving his bleeding arm around. "Your hurt!" Lucy gasped. "No duh! I got stabbed, remember!" Laxus yelled. Lucy flinched. "It's not my fault you got hurt! You shouldn't have… you didn't have to… save me like that." Lucy looked away, pink folding her arms, her cheeks pink with embarrassment.

Laxus paused, as if just realizing himself that he had jumped in front of her. "Oh hey… look at that, I guess I did." He blinked.

"U-Um… excuse me." A soft voice said.

Laxus and Lucy paused from their argument to look at the girl behind them. "Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot you were there." Lucy apologized. "It's okay… but um… if you're hurt, I can heal it if you want. For saving me." The girl smiled softly. "Heal?" Lucy asked.

The girl nodded. "My name is Wendy, Wendy Marvell." The girl bowed, smiling at the two.

**And here is where the Fairy Tail plot takes a slight twist! Please review!**


	6. Flying white cats

**New chapter! HAZZAH! (I think I spelled that wrong, but oh well HAHA!) Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this new chapter!**

"Okay, let me get this straight. Your guild is sending a 12 year old girl, through bandit infested woods, to join a alliance with other guilds, to stop a dark guild which the council is technically to lazy to take care of themselves?" Laxus said slowly as Wendy healed his injured hand.  
>"Well… Yes," She nodded. "I can take care of myself though! I'm not alone either, my friend Charle is with me… but… we got separated." Wendy sighed softly.<p>

Lucy elbowed Laxus in the side, sending him a glare.  
>"What?" he hissed at her.<p>

"Stop being rude." She hissed back, hitting his arm again.

"Thank you again for saving me. I was careless." Wendy looked down sadly.  
>Lucy's eyes softened. For some reason… she couldn't help but think of herself when she looked at Wendy. She doubted her ability and believed she was weak… just like her.<p>

"It's no problem at all Wendy. I'm sorry if we kept you from getting to your job." Lucy apologized.  
>"Oh no not at all. I don't have to be there till next Monday, it's just I wanted to get a head start since I would be walking there." Wendy said quickly. "I have 5 days to spare."<p>

Lucy nodded. "You said your friends name is Charle, correct?" Lucy asked tilting her head.

Wendy looked up and nodded. "Yes."  
>Lucy smiled. "Well, we're both headed North right? So how about we help you find your friend, and we can travel together till you get to your destination." Lucy smiled.<p>

"What?" Laxus snapped his head towards Lucy in surprise.

"Y…You would really do that!" Wendy's smile grew bright and cheerful as she stared at her new friends.

Lucy nodded. "We would be happy to."

"We would?" Laxus questioned. "Gack!" Laxus yelped in pain when Lucy slapped him on the head.

"Yes, we would." She said sternly. "Now, since Mr. Complains a lot, is all better, I say we go find your friend." Lucy smiled.

Wendy smiled at nodded.  
>"All right. Now, what does this friend of yours look like?" Lucy asked as they began to walk forward. Laxus sighed and followed behind the two younger girls, a scowl on his face.<p>

"Well, she's white, about a foot tall, has pretty white ears, has a long tail, and can fly." Wendy smiled.

Lucy and Laxus paused, staring at Wendy.

"What?" she asked.

"Wendy… is your friend… human?" Lucy said slowly.

"No, she's a cat." Wendy blinked.

"…Ah… Cat…?"

-Fairy Tail-

"An alliance between guilds?" Fairy Tail yelled in shock.

Master Makarov nodded, his arms folded across his chest. "Each guild shall pick a few members for this mission. Once the members are decided we shall meet at mansion of the Blue Pegasus guild Master."

"Which guilds will be present?" Erza asked, folding her arms as well.  
>"Fairy tail, Blue Pegasus, Lamia Scale, and Cait Shelter if I recall correctly." Mira said softly.<p>

Master Makarov nodded. "Yes, I have all ready decided who I wish to go on this mission." He announced. "We are up against a foe like no other, I expect team Natsu to be read with in 4 days." With that, the master left to return to his office.

Team Natsu.

That name rang through Fairy Tail head. It hadn't felt like team Natsu in such a long time. With Lucy gone, it just wasn't the same.

The room fell silent, which was very odd for Fairy Tail.

"So you guys think she might of joined another guild?" Bisca said softly.

"She wouldn't… would she?" Gray muttered.

"We can ask the other guilds… when we see them in a couple days." Erza suggested, looking away from the group. Everyone nodded. It wasn't much… but it was a start.

"I… I read more of Lu-Chans story… its really… heartwarming." Levy announced, causing everyone to turn to her.

"Can you… read some?" Romeo asked, leaning towards Levy.

"I… don't know." Levy said quickly, tightening her grip on the book. It was hard enough to try to read the book without crying when she was on her own.

"Juvia would like to hear it too… to hear Lucy's story." Juvia announced. Levy stared at Juvia's sad, almost lifeless, stare and slowly gave it.

"I… I suppose I could." Levy nodded, opening the book. She paused to glance at the door, as if expecting another dark guild to come bursting through the doors and take away another precious comrade from her life.

She flipped to the first pages, skimming over the first line a couple times before she looked up at everyone.

Levy coughed a bit, clearing her throat, before she began.  
><strong>"My name is Lucy Heartfillia, daughter of Jude and Layla Heartfillia. I dedicate this story to my home and family, Fairy Tail."<strong>

Natsu flinched from his spot across from Levy. Lucy… wrote a book just for them?

"**At the moment, I am 17 years old and have recently joined Fairy Tail after meeting Natsu Dragneel. Natsu Dragneel, the first mage I made at Fairy Tail. Together with his partner Happy, a blue cat with beautiful white wings, they are an unstoppable team."**

Happy slowly floated to the table below him. Lucy thought his wings were beautiful?

"**Perhaps it was a coincidence I happened to meet these two, but I would like to believe we were meant to meet that faithful day. Fore it is for these two precious comrades that I am able to laugh with everyone today."**

Fairy Tail suddenly grew very quiet. The master had snuck out of his office to listen in on the story.

"**Natsu Dragneel, the first dragon slayer I met at Fairy Tail. Natsu is a lean, well-built young man of average height with light tan skin, black eyes, and spiky rose-colored hair. He always wears a scarf that is detailed with white scales, given to Natsu by his adoptive father, Igneel the dragon. Imagine my shock when I learned that, hehe. It's not every day you see a dragon, but Natsu is the closet thing I've come to see of one. He definitely proved to me he could be as strong as one. His scarf helps with the dragon appearance as well. There almost never a time where you see Natsu without his scarf, he even wears it when he's swimming! Natsu has a scar on the right side of his neck that is visible in the few instances he does not wear his scarf. I wonder, is it weird to notice those small little things about a person? Maybe I only noticed the scar because he wasn't wearing his scarf, and it surprised me to see him without it. Natsu's Fairy Tail mark, which every Fairy Tail member has, is red, like fire, and located on the top of his right arm."**

Natsu fell silent, the tint of his cheeks pink as Levy continued to read. He didn't realize that Lucy thought that much of him. He most certainly didn't think she noticed those small little details about his skin. Natsu reached for his scarf, lifting it over his chin and mouth to cover up his blush.

No one else seemed to notice the gesture except for a certain water mage, watching him from her seat. Levy continued.

"**Happy, a small blue cat with a white underbelly and a tail-end who carries around a green backpack uses magic called Aera, which allows him to use his wings. When using his Magic, he can grow a pair of large angel-like wings that allow him to fly around and carry others. His Guild Mark is located on his back. Though don't let Happy's small appearance fool you. Happy is a very loyal Nakama, and as a large amount of knowledge on different mages and magic. He knows a lot more then me, that's for sure. Hopefully if he ever reads this he won't brag about it to my face, hehe. Happy is very sweet, and loves fish, but often acts a little cheeky when he is around me. I don't mind though, I can always depend on Happy to cheer me up when he yells "Aye!" Which is his usual catch phrase. Happy as often saved me from falling from great heights, though usually complains on how heavy I am, and is a wonderful mage of Fairy Tail. Even if he is a cat, his is a close Nakama that is very precious to me."**

Happy stared at the ground in shock. "Lucy…" he whispered softly, trying to hold back his tears. It was true, he did act cheeky towards Lucy and often complained about her weight, though in truth she wasn't heavy at all. He wanted Lucy there, at that very moment. He wanted to hug her and say how sorry he was for all those times he teased her.

Levy paused to stare at Happy in worry.

"C-Continue please, Levy." Happy sniffed, rubbing his tears away.

Levy nodded slowly and continued the book.

"**After meeting Natsu and Happy, and running away from several Rune Knights, they brought me to Fairy Tail, a very loud and energetic guild. This is were I met Gray Fullbuster. Gray's most prominent feature is his spiky black-colored hair. He has dark blue eyes, and his body is toned and very muscular, you can tell because he almost never wears a shirt... and sometimes pants. His Fairy Tail symbol is located on the right side of his chest. Gray is a very strong Ice mage, and often fights with Natsu. Though Gray has a very laid back personality, he quickly gets serious when the time comes. He and Natsu have a friendly rivalry, and while they can often be seen fighting one another verbally or physically, they do in fact get concerned about each others safety."**

The guild slowly turned towards their ice and fire mage, who were glaring at each other intently.

"Uh… I um… Continuing!" Levy yelped, turning to the next page.

"**There is always that one person to keep these two in line though. Erza Scarlet. One of the strongest mages I have ever known. Though I did not meet Erza on my first day I had still heard plenty about her from the others. Erza has long scarlet hair and brown eyes. Her right eye is actually artificial, as I have come to figure out. Erza often wears armor, with a blue skirt and black boats where ever she goes. Her Fairy Tail mark is located in the middle of her upper left arm. Erza is a very strict girl who dislikes when the guild members fight, and shows no mercy when giving punishment."**

Erza looked down, embarrassed. She was a little strict, wasn't she? She wasn't too strict on Lucy was she? Was Lucy ever afraid of her?

"**However, she has a great sense of justice and pride in being a member of Fairy Tail. Despite being a very strict person, she seems to have a clumsy side to her. I learned this after my first S-ranked mission when Erza fell into a pit hole, which I am very sorry about by the way, then got up and continued as if nothing happened."**

Erza felt her face get hot. Lucy was more aware of her surroundings then she gave credit for.

"**Though there are often times when Erza is scary, I can only feel respect for her. Erza is very cool, beautiful, warm and full of passion. My hope is to be like her one day. I suppose that means Erza is my role model, doesn't it?"**

Erza almost fell over in shock. She was a role model to Lucy? She had often seen Lucy staring at her in admiration but… her role model? Did she really think those wonderful things about her? Guilt overwhelmed Erza. She should have been stronger! She should have protected Lucy, instead of just watching as she was hurt and sent away.

"**After meeting Gray, another fight sprung up from Fairy Tail. It was amazing to see everyone and their magical power. On that very day I met Mirajane. I had often read about Mirajane and thought she was very beautiful. She has long, white hair, which gets slightly curly at the ends, with two bangs framing her face and reaching down to her chest, and whose most distinctive trait is a short, upward ponytail obtained by gathering and tying the hair covering her forehead. I think since she wears her bangs like that so much, they just stick that way. Mirajane was the first to welcome me to the guild, though our first conversation was short due to the fighting. It was still amazing to be talking to Mirajane face to face! Mirajane often comforts me when I am down and is a sucker for anything slightly romantic. She often tries to turn people into couples, though most of them are misunderstandments. Like one time, Mira-san made up a crazy assumption of Natsu falling in love with me."**

Natsu looked up in surprise. When did this happen? He looked towards Mirajane, as if demanding an explanation. Mirajane smiled nervously.

"**Though the possibilities of Natsu falling for me are… very low. Sadly, Natsu is too dense to notice anyone's feelings anyway. So I decided to ignore her comment, but as the day went on, my imagination went crazy, and I actually started to believe what she said was true. I think back to it now, and am extremely embarrassed at my behavior. After that, it just got worst. He kept saying he had something important to talk to me about, and my imagination was stupid and took it the wrong way. In the end, I realized he only wanted my to help him find a treasure that was suppose to hold some embarrassing photos of Fairy Tail, and I sort of... smacked him."**

"AH! So that's why!" Natsu exclaimed, finally understanding.

Fairy Tail began to laugh. A true laugh, which had seemed to disappear from Fairy Tail's life. Even if she was gone, Lucy's light still helped everyone to smile.

**And we end the chapter here. I hope you all liked it, and please review!**


	7. Little break

**Okay everyone READ THIS IT IS IMPORTANT! Today was the first snow of the season, so I decided to take one small little break of my story to write a little One-shot. I promise the next chapter I will straight back into the story, but I couldn't resist writing this. I hope you all enjoy!**

Snow was over the sidewalks, coloring the usually dirt covered path with white-soft, gentle specks of frozen water. The crisp new fallen snow slowly crunched over the two travelers feet.

"Isn't the snow nice!" Lucy smiled, staring up at the sky above.

"It's cold." Laxus said stiffly.

"Your attitude is cold." Lucy said over her shoulder.

Laxus folded his arms over his chest with a scowl.

Lucy sighed at her older companion and turned back towards the path, frowning. The last time she saw snow was when she was with everyone else. The snow reminded her so much of everyone.

It was cold, which instantly made her think of Gray. Yet the snow brought a relaxed, almost heartwarming feeling, like when she would walk into Fairy Tail.

The snow was soft and gentle, like Levy, and Mira-san. Yet it could also be made into something strong, like Erza, Elfman, Gray and Gajeel. Then of course it could also bring out the joy and laughter of winter, like the master, Natsu and Happy. The snow was just another appearance of Fairy Tail, wasn't it?

Natsu… how was Natsu doing? Was it snowing where he was? Was he cold and shivering in the corner of Fairy Tail, using his flames to heat up his body?

Wait… why was she thinking of Natsu?

She had noticed, lately… she had been thinking of Natsu a lot. His light pink, his soft eyes, and goofy childlike grin.

"ARRG~!" Lucy groaned, running her hands through her hair, making Laxus stare at her confused.

"Something troubling you?" he asked.  
>"How did you know?" Lucy asked sarcastically?<p>

Laxus shrugged, slowing his pace down a bit so that Lucy was now completely in front of him.  
>"Hey, Laxus. Hurry up, I don't want to have to wait for you." Lucy said, still staring straight a head. "Laxus?" she called when there was no reply. "Laxus are you listening- GACK!" Lucy fell forward, plummeting into the snow below when something cold smacked her in the back of her head. "W-What was that for!' she yelled, sitting up to glare at Laxus. Her face was stinging from the sudden cold.<p>

Laxus smirked and tossed a snowball in the air, catching it in his hand.

"You know, you shouldn't say the snow is nice, then start getting all depressed. Someone might think you're bipolar." He said with a large smirk.

"W…Why you!" Lucy snatched up some snow from the ground and tossed it towards Laxus, who dodged to the left.  
>"Your funeral!" Laxus yelled, throwing the snowball. Lucy ducked down, barely dodging and grabbed some more snow.<p>

Thus the greatest snowball fight in history began.

"Laxus!" Lucy yelled, dodging behind a tree.

"What?" Laxus asked, diving behind his own tree.  
>"Is this training?" Lucy called out, trying to hit Laxus from behind the tree.<p>

"… Uh yeah, yeah it is." Laxus said quickly.

Lucy's eyes narrowed. "Liar." She whispered, a smile growing across her face.

Even one of the greatest mages needs a little break in the snow.

Laxus dove out from behind the tree, chucking a snowball towards Lucy. Lucy froze, her eyes widening at the sight. It hit her straight in the face and she fell backward.

Laxus smirked as he landed. "Ha!"

Lucy hit the ground, staring up at the sky with wide eyes. It was not the snowball that caused her to freeze like that. Never before had she seen him… smile like that.

"Hey… I didn't hit you that hard did I?" Laxus looked down at her in confusion to why she hadn't gotten up yet. "Hey…" No reply. "Don't tell me… is she unconscious?" Laxus rubbed the back of his neck. "Whoops… um…"

"CHANCE!" Lucy yelled, swiping at Laxus's legs.

"C…" Laxus fell backwards onto his back. "Why you-"

"Snow in the face!" Lucy laughed, smudging snow into Laxus's face.  
>"Whay ywo lwittle-" Laxus hissed. (Why you little-) Laxus sat up, pinching both of Lucy's cheeks and stretching out her face.<p>

Lucy grabbed Laxus's face has well and stretched out his cheeks too.

Both glared at each other intently, trying to ignore the pain coming from their faces.

"Lwet go." Laxus fumbled to get the words out. (Let go)

"Yous first." Lucy replied (You first)

Laxus scowled, though it looked really weird. "You'res annoyings." (You're annoying)

"Yous twoos." (You too)

The two glared at each other once again, sparks shooting between their eyes.

Lucy couldn't take this much longer. The pain was starting to get worse. She had to give in to defeat. Lucy's grip began to loosen, but she froze when she felt Laxus release her face, his arms falling to his side.

Lucy, who was still staring at Laxus in shock, blinked.  
>"Well… wlet gos." (Well… let go)<p>

Lucy blinked, still trying to comprehend what just happened. Did he really just admit defeat? She knew that Laxus had changed from his cold and aggressive side after he left Fairy Tail, but she didn't think he would change this much.

"Hey!"

Lucy's grip loosened so that she was now just cupping Laxus's face. Laxus's eyes widened a bit in surprise.

"What?" he asked stiffly, trying to avoid her stare.

"Where did you get this scar?" Lucy asked softly, running over it with her thumb.

Laxus flinched. "None of your business." He said coldly.

Lucy just nodded, understanding if Laxus wanted to keep it private. "Sorry." She said.

There was a long pause.

"Are you going to let go of me or not." Laxus said dryly, forcing the words out of his mouth.

"Huh? I did." Lucy said quickly, looking up at him only to realize that yes, she did let go of his cheeks, but she was still cupping the sides of his face. Lucy's hand pulled back in surprise. "Ah... s-sorry." She never realized how soft Laxus's face would be. The scar felt a little rough, but that's to be expected.

Laxus rubbed his cheeks in pain and sighed. He blinked in surprise when a white flake fell in front of his face.

Lucy saw the flake as well and the two both looked up.

It had begun to snow again. Since it had snowed the night before, the two were to busy sleeping to witness the falling snow.

'This is… The first time…" Lucy whispered softly

"First time of what?" Laxus asked.

Lucy looked away, smiling knowingly. "No, nothing." She grinned.

She would never tell him this but this was the first snow of their adventure together. Their first snow as friends… or in Laxus's mind, master and student.

Not to mention this was the first day Laxus ever smiled at Lucy.

Laxus stared at Lucy confused, but ended up shacking his head. "You make no sense at all."

"What does that mean?" Lucy demanded, as Laxus got to his feet.  
>"It means you're weird." Laxus smirked, causing Lucy's face to heat up with anger.<p>

"Jerk." She hissed, jumping to her feet.

Laxus folded his arms and turned away. "Come on, let's go. It's cold." He said over his shoulder as he trudged forward.

Lucy paused, staring at Laxus's back.

"You're just as weird as me." She muttered, a smile growing on her face. There were many things Lucy didn't understand about Laxus, but at least he was able to smile at her. That was enough for her… to see his smile.

**And here we end! Hope you all liked it!**


	8. Day 1 with Wendy

**IMPORTANT MESSAGE, MUST READ! Okay everyone, a lot of you have asked what pairings are in this story, and in all honesty, I have not thought much of the pairings myself. At this point the pairings could go anyway. SO, I ask you all that when you review this chapter, you add a space at the end of your review and write the pairings that you want.**

**If you want this to be a LaxusXLucy story, then put it on a review. This story could even end up being a GrayXLucy story if you all really wanted it to be. Or a LokiXLucy, NatsuXLucy story.**

**Also, if you wish to see some GajeelXLevi, GrayXJuvia, or GrayXErza (I know for a fact there are some fans of that pairing out there) just type it into the review.**

**Besides that, a brand new story is up and ready to go. I hope you all enjoy.**

Laxus scowled menacingly at the white cat in front of him.

As promised, Lucy and Laxus did help Wendy find Charle… but… The plan backfired just a bit when Charle suddenly attacked Laxus from the air, thinking he was an enemy.

Wendy laughed nervously as she sat between the two, while Lucy currently placed bandages on Laxus's face, were large scratched marks were seen.

"Carle, please apologize, they saved my life." Wendy begged softly, staring at her feline companion.

Charle folded her arms and turned away with a "Hmph!"

Laxus hissed when Lucy touched a scratch that was a little deeper then the others.

"Oh, don't be such a baby." Lucy scolded, carefully placing a bandage over the scratch.

Laxus's glare turned to her.

Lucy frowned at him in return. She shook her head at the stubborn blonde then turned to her two new companions.

"Well Carle, I wasn't able to introduce myself before. My name is Lucy Heartfillia, the sour crab over there is Laxus Dreyar." Lucy announced, glancing over her shoulder at Laxus who was scratching one of the bandages in irritation.

Carle glanced at Lucy and nodded.

Wendy smiled and rose to her feet. "Thank you again for this Lucy." Wendy smiled at her.

Lucy grinned. "It was no problem, really." She rose to her feet and dusted off her knees, which had gotten dirty from kneeling on the ground for so long. "So, shall we get going?" Lucy asked.

Laxus grumbled something under his breath but slowly got to his feet.

"Wait a minute, why do we have to travel with them?" Carle demanded, flying in front of Wendy's face, preparing for an argument.

As Wendy explained to Carle the events that had taken place before, Lucy couldn't help but stare at the flying cat. Lucy's eyes softened at the sight of Carle's wings.

They were similar to Happy's. White and beautiful.

How was Happy? Now that she thought about it… he wasn't there that night. Maybe he was on a solo mission or something. Or just didn't want to see Lucy when they kicked her out.

Lucy shook of the thought when Wendy smiled in victory, finally convincing Charle to travel with them.

Lucy grinned at the two.

"Let go then." Laxus sighed, turning around to walk towards the trees behind him. "Wrong way." Lucy called bluntly.

Laxus's shoulder flinched and he whirled around, his hands stuffed in his jacket and his head low. "I knew that." He hissed, walking pass Lucy as if nothing had happened.

Lucy smiled and shook her head at the older blonde.

**-Later that day-**

"Ah, finally, a town!" Lucy cheered as they walked pass the sign that said Tio. (Random town name) Lucy paused, realizing that since Lucy wounds were now almost completely healed she wouldn't have to sleep outside or in a hospital bed today. Which means they would need to get at least two hotel rooms… which mean Laxus would have to pay for her… and it would add more money to her debt.

Lucy frowned, her back slumping in depression. "Lucy, what's wrong?" Wendy asked.

Lucy flinched. "Laxus… can I borrow some money." Lucy asked softly, blushing with embarrassment and shame.

Laxus smirked and folded his arms. "For what?" he inquired.

"For a hotel room." Lucy sighed, bowing slightly towards Laxus.

Laxus smirked again as he stared down mockingly at Lucy.

Wendy and Charle blinked and looked at each other.

"Then again, we could just share the same room." Laxus rubbed his chin in thought, a perverted smile similar to Master Makarov plastered on his face. "Like I would ever do that!" Lucy yelled angrily.

Laxus shrugged and tossed her a small bag filled with some money. "There, that should be enough for a room at the hotel at the end of town, it's called the Riola. I have some things to do here, so I'll met you three there." Laxus said.

"What sort of things?" Lucy asked suspiciously as she caught the bag.

"Things that little girls like you don't need to concern themselves with." Laxus answered, walking ahead of them.

"Hey! I'll let you know I'm turning 18 next week!" Lucy yelled in anger, waving her fist at the retreating blonde. Lucy sighed as Laxus disappeared into the crowd. "What a weird guy."

"Um… you don't have to use your money for my sake." Wendy said softly. "I'm fine with sleeping outside."

Lucy looked towards Wendy and Charle, smiling.

"It's okay. Besides… I haven't slept on an actual bed for weeks!" Lucy cried out, the urge to jump on a bed coming into her mind.

Wendy blinked and nodded.

"So, lets go!" Lucy cheered, running forward. "W-Wait for us!" Wendy said, running after Lucy with Charle at her side.

**-Hotel (Not really going to bother naming the hotel)-**

"One room please." Lucy smiled at the women behind the desk. The women nodded with a smile and took out a record book.

"For how long?" she asked. "1 night please."

The women nodded and scribbled the information down. "That will be 30,000 jewels." (I'm assuming this is 30 dollars -_-)

Lucy opened Laxus's little bag and took out the money, surprised that the room was only half the price of her apartment back home…

Home.

Lucy smiled nervously, trying to get the memory out of her mind as the lady handed her the key. "Thank you." Lucy nodded, taking the key. She turned towards Wendy and smiled.

As Lucy, Wendy, and Charle walked up to their room Lucy couldn't help but stop to stare out the window. "There… is a spa across the street!" Lucy's eyes beamed at the sight of the steam. "Oh oh! Lets go!" Lucy cheered, grabbing Wendy's hand and dragging her to the room as fast as they could. Lucy opened the door, throwing theirs bags and other belongings inside.

Lucy slammed the door shut, dragging the poor blue-haired mage down the hall towards the stairs.

"W-Wait, what about the room?" Wendy asked as Charle flew to catch up with them.

"Oh that can wait, it will still be there when we get back!" Lucy grinned, running down the stairs at amazing speed.

-**-Spa…place….ish 0.0 -**

"Ah, this feels amazing!" Lucy cheered, after officially hoping into the spa.

Wendy and Charle sat on the edge of the spa, their feet barley grazing the water. "Aww come on Wendy, Charle. The water is nice and warm." Lucy smiled.

Wendy clung to her towel and slowly inched in, Charle on watching from the edge.

Lucy smiled at her two new companions and leaned again the edge, her towel on the other side of the pool. Lucy closed her eyes in bliss.

The water felt nice against her old wounds.

"Lucy…"

"Hmm?" Lucy asked, opening an eye to stare at the blue haired mage.

"Ah, sorry! It's nothing. It's none of my business." Wendy apologized, looking away. "No it's okay, what is it?" Lucy asked, tilting her head.

"Well… um… Those scars… where did you get them?" Wendy asked. "They look a little new, like you got hurt recently."

Lucy looked away from Wendy, unsure on how to answer.

"Oh… these? I um…. It's a long story. I got in a little… fight with some guild… members…" Lucy shrugged half heartedly.

Charle had noticed the scars as well. In all honesty, she was shocked to see the number of scratched and large wounds that marked the celestial mages skin.

"Hehe, I've put it… behind me though." Lucy smiled weakly. Liar.

Lucy flinched as that word echoed in her mind.

"You see um… I..." Lucy's voice cracked. It was still hard to talk about it.

"Y-You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to!" Wendy said quickly. Lucy looked a Wendy, happy that Wendy didn't try to force anything out of her.

"Thanks Wendy." Lucy smiled softly.

Wendy smiled back and nodded. "Sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable, it's just… Since I don't know Laxus or you very well…"

"No I understand completely. I can't expect you to trust us completely after we just met."

Wendy nodded. "It's just, I feel like I can trust you… its just… Laxus doesn't seem to trust Charle and me."

Lucy nodded and looked down at the water below her. "Well, to be honest… I don't know Laxus that well either." Lucy chuckled.

Wendy looked up in surprise. "You don't?"

"Aren't you traveling together, how can you not know much about him?" Charle demanded.

"Well… I have known Laxus's reputation for a while now. I first met him a couple months ago, but I never got a chance to talk to him. You see Laxus and me were in the same guild, but I almost never saw him. It was only a couple weeks ago that I met Laxus, and he offered to train me." Lucy explained. "Your in a guild, which guild is it?" Wendy smiled.

Lucy flinched. "Um…" Lucy looked down sadly. "I'm… no longer in that guild." Lucy clutched the wound on her side, memories running through her head.

Wendy saw the look in Lucy's eyes and decided not the push the subject anymore.

"So, you barely know Laxus yourself. How can you trust him?" Charle asked, folding her arms.

"Well… he saved my life. I'm sure if Laxus wanted to hurt me, he would have just let me die when he found me." Lucy said, rubbing her chin in thought. "I owe Laxus my life… if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here right now." Lucy smiled.

Wendy and Charle looked at each other. Wendy knew Lucy's feeling well, for someone had saved her life when she was very young as well.

"Besides, Laxus isn't that bad of a guy. Sure he can be a pain sometimes, is a little awkward, and has no sense of direction, but he's helped me grow stronger."

Wendy blinked as she stared at Lucy. She slowly smiled and nodded, feeling a little more at ease.

"Ah! My hands look like prunes!" Lucy yelped in shock, causing Wendy and Charle to jump in surprise. "I'm getting out!'

Wendy laughed as Lucy sprang out of the water and towards the fresh towels.

After getting dressed and heading out of the spa, Lucy and her 2 companions headed towards the inn.

"That was refreshing." Lucy smiled.

Wendy nodded in agreement as she carried Charle in her arms. "Do you think Laxus is waiting for us back at the inn?" Wendy asked. "Probably." Lucy smiled as the approached the door.

"Sneak attack!"

Lucy's eyes widened when a sudden boulder came falling towards her. " AHHH! What the-!" She dove to the side, pushing Wendy and Charle out of the way. Lucy landed on the ground, Wendy and Charle in her arms. "What was that!" she demanded, staring at the boulder, which had made a large indent into the ground. "Hey, this is the first time you actually dodged!" A voice laughed mockingly. Lucy flinched, remembering the one time the boulder had actually landed on her foot. It really painful despite Laxus insane laughter.

Lucy looked up at the inn and growled when she saw Laxus standing on the top.

"Jerk! What was that for!" she yelled. "Training!" Laxus answered.

"How is throwing a boulder at us training?" Lucy demanded.

"It helps you prepare for anything." Laxus announced, jumping off the inn and landing in front of them. "Now… training begins!"

Lucy screamed as lightning fell down from the sky and struck the air next to her. "Laxus!" she yelled, dodging a few more hits.

"Run little girl run." Laxus laughed.

"You jerk!" Lucy screamed as she ran around, blocking some of the attacks with her sword. "A-Amazing… what amazing power." Wendy gasped, staring at Laxus's magic.

"They're noisy." Charle scowled.

**And we end here. Sorry about this. I feel this chapter was a bit rushed.**


	9. Happy Halloween!

**Happy Halloween! Let me start by wishing you the best of joy on this wonderful Holiday! And as a bonus, I would like to ask that when you review, please tell me what your costume was that you wore this year ^_^. This year I went as a Ninja :D! One last thing before we begin, the RESULTS for the pairing are not in. And in all honesty, I was shocked when I saw this, I counted up the reviews and at the moment, Natsu and Laxus are tied, with Gray behind by 5 reviews! 0.0 I have not decided pairings yet, and I may not decide a pairing at all at this moment, mainly because everything is so tied. So Even if you have all ready voted, you may review again and take another vote ^_^**

Lucy groaned in pain as she rubbed her soar neck. "I hate that jerk." She hissed, grabbing some ice out of the container and placing it behind her neck.

"Are you in pain?" Wendy asked softly, as she placed a bowl of soup in front of Lucy.

"A little, but it's okay." Lucy smiled.

Wendy nodded, her frown still plastered on her face.

"Your powers… truly are amazing." Wendy said, sitting across from Lucy. "You can control it so well, and you aren't afraid to risk your life for others."

Lucy looked at Wendy a little shocked. "I wasn't… always like that."

Wendy blinked and stared at Lucy.

"Actually, a couple weeks ago, before I met Laxus… I was so weak I could barely finish a simple solo mission on my own. I never tried to depend on anyone as much as I did… but I just always seemed to be the one who was protected. I could never protect my friends." Lucy looked down at her hand, which was covered by a black glove, hiding the Fairy Tail mark.

Charle and Wendy stared at Lucy, not knowing what to say. Wendy looked down at the ground, slightly understanding Lucy's feeling.

"Even so…"

Wendy and Charle looked up.

"I'm stronger now. It may not be by much, but if I keep looking forward, I know I'll get stronger…. Because I have something to live for again." Lucy paused, the words coming out of her mouth on their own. Something to live for?

"Something to live for? Who is that?" Wendy asked, leaning a little closer.

"It's…" What was the thing she wanted to live for?

After she left Fairy Tail, she had nothing left.

No, that's not true. She had her life, her spirits, after a while she had Laxus, and now she had Wendy and Charle.

Lucy's eyes widened. She wanted to live for all of them. Wendy and Charle needed her, even if they didn't know it. Her spirits depended on her, their happiness was in her hands. Then there was Laxus. He saved her life so she wanted to do what she could as repayment… right? Or was it more?

"I want to live for… all of those who still mean the most to me." Lucy said slowly. "I don't know why… but I want to protect you all. Even if I'm weak and just get in everyone's way… I want to stay by everyone side. I want to stay with Laxus, and help you two as much as I can. ." Lucy rubbed the back of her neck, her eyes in a dazed. That right… she wants to stay with Laxus. "I want to stay by his side." Lucy smiled softly and nodded.

"It's weird to nod randomly."

Lucy froze at the sound of a deep new voice. She whirled around in shock, her jaw dropping it shock at the sight of Laxus standing in front of an open, where he must have snuck in.

"L…Laxus?" Lucy squeaked. Oh no… oh no no no no. He didn't hear her, did he! Lucy could feel her face heat up.

Oh great! Now he is going to make fun of her or something!

-Laxus POV-

"Bored." I muttered, folding my arms. How were the little brats doing? I rose from my chair an opened my window, jumping to the room below, where Lucy and the others were.

"I want to stay by his side."

I paused. Was that Lucy? Laxus opened the window and looked in. The girls were sitting at the small table eating bowls of soup. Lucy's back was facing me as I hoped inside. After a small pause Lucy nodded her head, which she often did when she was thinking and finally thought of an answer.

I smirked, taking this as my chance to acknowledge my presence.

"It's weird to nod randomly." I announced.

The girls jumped, turning to me in surprise. Each of their expressions was priceless… but Lucy's was especially interesting.

"L…Laxus!" she yelped, a large blush covering her face.

Wait… why was she so flustered?

"H-How long h-have you been there?" she yelped.

"I just got here." I explained, closing the window.

"Pervert! Don't just come in without permission!" Lucy yelled angrily, throwing her spoon at my head. I ducked just in time and scowled at her.

"It's no big deal. Besides, I am the one paying for this room, I should be able to come in whenever I want."

Lucy folded her arms, pouting up at me.

"At least knock." She muttered, looking away.

I smirked and pulled up a chair next to her. My curiosity got the best of me and I turned towards Wendy.

"So, what were you three talking about?"

"Nothing!" Lucy snapped quickly, relief covering her face.

Wendy smiled nervously and Charle folded her arms, neither were willing to explain the events that had occurred before I entered the room.

I leaned my head against my hand, knowing I was not going to get any answers out of these three.

-Normal POV-

"… Want some soup?" Lucy asked, glancing at Laxus.

Laxus looked up at Lucy, then down at the soup in front of her. He inhaled through his nose, getting a large whiff of the soup.

Laxus nodded quickly.

Wendy smiled and got up from her seat, quickly grabbing a bowl for Laxus, and filling it with vegetable soup.

Laxus took the bowl and spoon and nodded in thanks at Wendy.

Lucy took her spoon and began to eat. She paused to looked up at her companions, who were all eating their soup hungrily.

The last time she had eaten with such a large group was when she was still in Fairy Tail.

Often Gray, Erza, Natsu, and Happy snuck into her apartment to see what she was cooking. When ever Lucy made a home cooked meal, she always made sure to make plenty of extras, just in case she had un-expected guests.

Lucy glanced at Laxus once more. He was a lot like the others, in his own way.

He didn't knock when coming in, that's for sure.

"Can I help you?" Laxus asked in irritation. "You've been staring at me for the past 3 minutes."

Lucy blinked, she hadn't realized that her thoughts had dragged out so long. "Oh… sorry." Lucy laughed nervously, looking back at her soup. She needed some excuse.

"It's just you…" Lucy glanced at Laxus to see a small smudge of dirt on his left cheek. "Have something on your face." Lucy said quickly, saved by the dirt.

Laxus blinked, and rubbed his sleeve on his face.

"On the cheek." Wendy announced as Laxus tried to whip the dirt of.

"A little to the left." Charle added, glancing at him.

Laxus growled in annoyance, his attempts to clean his face were failing.

"Here." Lucy laughed. "Let me get it." Lucy took a small napkin and dipped the tip in her water. She brought the napkin to Laxus's face and gently whipped his cheek.

Laxus stared at Lucy in slight shock, then back at the Napkin, which gently tapped against his face.

Lucy pulled her hand away and smiled when she saw the smudge had vanished from Laxus's face. "All clean."

"..Thanks." Laxus muttered, rubbing his cheek and quickly going back to his soup.

(I had to add this)

Lucy blinked when she heard her doorbell ring. "I wonder who that could be." Lucy mumbled, rising from her seat to get the door. Laxus looked up from his soup, his spoon still in his mouth, as he stared after Lucy.

"I wonder who it is." Wendy said to Charle, who simply folded her arms and shrugged.

"Yes?" Lucy asked, opening the door.

"Trick or treat!"

Lucy's eyes widened in surprise as white bags were pushed in front of her face by small white fists. Little goblins and ghosts stood in front of her.

"What the-"

"Happy Halloween." An adult behind the 4 small children smiled politely. Lucy flinched. Was it really Halloween?

"O-Oh… right, let me go get some really quick. You 4 nice, and very well dressed, little ones just wait out here." Lucy laughed nervously, trying to be as calm and polite as she could. The 4 kids nodded as Lucy shut the door.

"Oh no!" Lucy hissed, running to the kitchen to try and find anything she could use.

"What's wrong?" Wendy asked.

"It's Halloween!" Lucy yelled in a low tone. "There are kids right outside the door! Do we have any candy… or some sort of sweets?" Lucy panicked as she raided the cabinets and fridge in hope of finding anything useful.

"Just tell the little brats you ran out." Laxus and Charle said together. Both of them paused to stare at each other. Both of their arms were crossed and they scowled at each other.

"You two are too much alike." Lucy said bluntly before turning back to the fridge.

"I… I have some cookies in my bag!" Wendy gasped, rushing to the small blue bag that was sitting in the corner.

Lucy followed after her, leaning over her shoulder to get a better look.

"Yeah, here we go." Wendy said holding up a bag full of cookies.

Lucy smiled. "Are you sure?"

Wendy nodded and handed Lucy the bag. "Quick, before they leave!"

Lucy nodded and dove back to the door, swinging it open to see smiling kids.

"Trick or treat." They repeated, holding up their back. Lucy smiled, brushing her hair out of her eyes as she handed each of the kids a cookie. "Sorry, out of candy at the moment. I hope these will do." Lucy apologized as the children grabbed the cookies eagerly.

"No, this is fine." One said, instantly engulfing the cookie into his mouth.

"Thank you, Happy Halloween." The kids called, running towards the next inn door.

Lucy closed the door and sighed in relief. "Thank Wendy, you're a life savior. I completely forgot the date." Lucy smiled.

"I didn't think they let kids go door to door in an inn." Laxus muttered.

"It's called Holiday spirit Mr. Sour pants!' Lucy announced, pointing at Laxus.

Laxus rolled his eyes and looked away.

Lucy did the same as she placed the cookies on the table. "Hey Wendy-" Lucy paused as she watched Charle and Wendy stare out the window, staring down at the small kids.

That's right… Wendy and Charle were still kids, even if they said otherwise. Happy was… 6 right? Charle doesn't look much older.

"Wendy, Charle." Lucy said, getting her two companions attention. "Yes?" they asked.

"Wanna go trick or treating with me?" Lucy smiled.

"Aren't you a little old for trick or treating." Laxus asked, looking at Lucy confused.

"You're never to old!" Lucy argued.

"You said you were turning 18 next week, so that means you're an adult." Charle pointed out. "Adults going trick or treating is weird."

Lucy turned to Charle with a glare. She was WAY too much like Laxus. "Yes, I did say that. BUT, I am still 17 at the moment, so technically, this is my last Halloween I can actually go trick or treating… so ha!" Lucy pointed at Laxus and Charle in victory.

The two rolled their eyes, but glared at each other when they saw they were doing the same pose.

"Okay yeah… and you say me going trick or treating is weird." Lucy sighed, looking at the two.

"We don't have costumes though." Wendy said.

"Leave that to me." Lucy smirked, pulling out her keys. "Open the gate of the great crab, Cancer!"

Wendy's eyes widened as the crab like man with scissors appeared before her. Laxus stared in slight amusement.

"Ohhh, a crab how terrifying!" Laxus screamed in fake terror.

"Shut up Laxus!" Lucy snapped. "Cancer is a good ally, and could gut all the hair off your head in a second!"

"Wanna bet?" Laxus smirked.

"Not really!" Lucy turned away, instantly backing down.

"She gave up so soon?" Charle questioned.

"Anyway, cancer, could you please help us find good Halloween costumes?" Lucy pleaded softly.

Cancer stared at Lucy for a moment.

Lucy blinked. "Cancer?" she asked.

Cancer stared at Laxus Wendy and Charle, then back at Lucy. "I see you have new companions-ebi."

Lucy nodded. "Yes." She said slowly.

"How are you-ebi? It's been a while since I last saw you-ebi."

Lucy blinked in realization. Now that she thought about it, she only told Loki and Virgo what had happened to her, though she was sure they had told the others. Cancer must have been worried.

"I'm good, thanks for asking." Lucy smiled. "These are my new friends, Laxus, Wendy, and Charle." Lucy smiled. "It's Halloween and I forgot. So I was wondering if you could help us out."

Cancer nodded. "Leave it to me-ebi." Cancer smirked, holding up his scissors, which glinted in the light.

-Later-

"Cancer, this is amazing!" Lucy smiled, twirling around in her witch's costume.

"Amazing, I didn't think you could make something like these out of simple sheets!" Wendy smiled, looking down at her dragon costume (hehe)

"Which I have to pay for." Laxus grumbled, who was staring at the prince costume Cancer had also made for him.

"This is ridiculous." Charle hissed, folding her arms in protest, glaring at the small Angel costume that was around her body.

"You have wings, the costume matches." Lucy pointed out.

"That doesn't explain why I have to go." Charle snapped.

"So your willing to let Wendy go out in the middle of the night alone to knock on random strangers houses?" Lucy asked, loaming over Charle.

Charle flinched, taking a quick step back. "Of course not!" she yelled.

Lucy smirked in victory. "Then you might as well get candy with us."

Laxus sighed and grabbed his costume. "I might as well come as well. Knowing you, you'll probably end up in some ditch, in another town."

"You have no room to talk, and that's the closet not the bathroom." Lucy said, causing Laxus to pause as he opened the door.

"I… knew that." Laxus said, stepping inside and slamming the door behind him.

Lucy snickered then turned back to her celestial spirit. "Thanks Cancer." Lucy smiled.

Cancer nodded. Since he hadn't seen his contractor in a while he couldn't help but go all out. "Anytime-ebi." Cancer paused. "Call me again soon-ebi." Cancer said softly, before disappearing. Lucy nodded and stared back down at her keys.

"He was nice." Wendy smiled.

"He was weird." Charle folded her arms.

Lucy chuckled. "Laxus are you ready yet-" Lucy turned around and her eyes widened. Laxus had finished dressing and stepped outside the closet, smoothing out a black silk that covered his body. He really did look like a prince.

"Ready." He said. He blinked as the three girls stared at him. "What?" he asked.

"It's just…"

"Prince." Wendy blinked, pointing at him.

Laxus stared at himself and shrugged, quickly looking away. "I don't like wearing stuff like this." He said stiffly, folding his arms.

Lucy smiled at the older blonde; happy he was going with them.

"Lets go!" she cheered, pumping her fist in the air.

Lucy smiled as she placed her bag on the table. "That was fun!"

Wendy nodded. "Thanks for taking us." She smiled.

"No problem, I had a lot of fun." Lucy smiled. She looked towards Laxus, who had collapsed on the couch. "Seems Laxus had a little too much fun." Lucy smirked.

"Idiot." Laxus muttered. "You screamed every time something jumped out… which was a lot… my head hurt." Laxus complained.

Lucy folded her arms. "I didn't scream that much."

"Boo." Charle said calmly, appearing next to Lucy.

"AHHH!" Lucy screeched, jumping back.

"My point is proven." Laxus sighed.

Lucy glared at the two and turned away. "Jerks." She muttered, walking to her bag. She opened it up and jumped out the large amount of candy with a satisfied grin. She blinked when a picture finally came falling out. She flinched. During their trip around the town, Lucy had screamed several times, that was true.

There was nothing to intense though. Until they got halfway into town. Lucy felt ashamed for being spooked so easily by it… but she couldn't help it.

The picture showed a very surprised Laxus, holding up a horrified Lucy with several towns' folk staring.

-**Flash Back-**

"We've gotten so much candy all ready." Wendy smiled, staring into her bag. Charle looked over Wendy's shoulder with a small smile.

"It's a good night for trick or treating." Lucy smiled, chewing on one of her pieces of candy.

As the 4 companions turned the corner to another street, the paused at the large group of trick or treaters.

"Whoa, look at everyone's costumes." Wendy smiled. Lucy nodded in agreement. There were even some people with camera, taking pictures then selling them back.

Lucy who was entranced in all the commotion, didn't seem to notice when a teenage boy, a few years older then Wendy, walked towards them with his little groups of friends.

"I'm going to burn you to a crisp!" He yelled, jumping in front of Lucy.

Lucy's eyes widened in horror, her face paling and her legs feeling like limp.

The crowd jumped in surprise when a large high-pitched scream was heard.

Though the most surprised out of everyone was Laxus, whom was now currently holding a screaming Lucy, who had jumped into his arms.

"I'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorry." Lucy whispered softly, almost a whisper.

Wendy stared at Lucy in shock. "Lucy?" she gasped. Charle was just as shocked and could only stare at the celestial mage.

"Wow, jeez sorry Ms." The boy said quickly. "Didn't mean to scare you that much."

Laxus looked up at the boy and his eyes widened.

With his spiky pink wig, vest, and white scarf, he couldn't blame Lucy for thinking this kid was that stupid Fire Mage.

Natsu Dragneel.

"Get out of here!" Laxus barked at the kid, causing him to jump in surprise and flee the scene.

"Hey look, a witch and a prince!" A girl called. "What good costumes!"

"Where did you get them?"

Laxus took a step back in surprise as several towns fold surrounded him and Lucy, taking several pictures.

Lucy hid her face deep into Laxus's shirt, her eyes wide with terror. Why?

Why was it… whenever she thought about them… whenever she saw something or someone that reminded her of them… she froze up like this?

This had been the second time Laxus had been there when she froze up. She must be such a bother to him.

Though he was a bit of a bother to her too. With his constant messed up training methods.

"Lucy, are you all right?" Wendy asked softly.

Lucy flinched. "Oh… yeah… I'm fine." She said softly, turning her head towards Wendy, who nodded slowly.

Lucy blinked.

What was this warmth? Lucy slowly looked up to see Laxus staring down at her. Laxus? Oh no, did she grab him by reflex? Wait… is that… concern in his eyes?

"S-Sorry." Lucy said, pulling away. "I just…."

"No, it's okay… I understand." Laxus said softly. Lucy looked at him in surprise, but nodded.

"So… shall we continue?" Lucy asked, rubbing her back of her neck nervously.

Her three companions stared at her for a long time, then slowly nodded.

-Present time-

Lucy smiled at the picture, glad she had gone back and bought it from that man.

Her first picture with Laxus… though it wasn't exactly a happy one.

"Hey Wendy, lets trade candy!" Lucy smiled.

Wendy nodded and dumped her bag onto the ground. Charle sat between us, staring intently at both our piles.

"Oh here Charle, you said before you like the Swedish fish, right? You can have mine." Lucy scoped up the candy, and placed in front of the white cat. Charle looked up in surprise.

"…Thanks." She muttered, quickly munching on the candy.

Lucy smiled and looked down at her candy. 3 months ago, she never would have thought that she would be here, celebrating Halloween with these three. Her three new Nakama.

Lucy grinned brightly and looked towards Laxus. "Laxus!" she called. "What." Laxus muttered, looking up from his spot on the couch.

"Happy Halloween!"

"…Whatever!"

Lucy and Wendy laughed at the older blonde, both smiling brightly.

-Lucy's old apartment-

Erza stood quietly in the middle of Lucy's old room, taking in all the surroundings. Even though she was gone, the room still had the bright a happy feeling to it. Like any second now Lucy would come walking through those doors, yelling at them about privacy and to get out of her room.

"She liked that candy best." Natsu said softly as Gray placed the Hershey's chocolate bar on Lucy's pillow. (Random piece of candy. Chocolate may not actually be Lucy's favorite, but oh well.)

"**Happy Halloween Lucy, come home soon"** was what the note next to the piece of candy said.

"Aye." Happy nodded.

The room fell silent. If only a certain blonde celestial mage was there to brighten up the mood.

**And we end here! I hope you all enjoyed it! Please Review! And HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Mwahahah!**

Return to Top


	10. Moving forward

**Sorry for the delay! I've just been so busy with school and hockey tournaments, and other family issues! But in honor of my new baby cousin, who was just born yesterday, I dedicate this chapter to Linzielee, my cute little cousin!**

"Thank you for staying with us, we hope to see you soon." The staff said, bowing towards Lucy and her companions.

Lucy smiled at them and nodded.

"Thank you." Wendy bowed before they walked out the door.

"Ah, my back feels so good right now!" Lucy cheered, stretching her arms over her head. "It's been so long since I last slept on an actual bed." She smiled.

Laxus folded her arms. "That I paid for."

Lucy flinched. "…Right… Thanks…." Lucy said quickly, which caused Laxus to smirk.

Wendy chuckled, smiling brightly while Charle folded her arms.

Wendy paused to re-think of her plan. The meeting with all the guilds was in 4 days, it would take 3 days to get there by walking. 4 days left with Lucy and Laxus.

Time seemed to go by so fast, she had only meet Lucy and Laxus 2 days ago… but even so, she had come to think of them as close Nakama.

"Okay, so we're headed North." Laxus said, throwing his bag over his shoulder and walking to his left.

"Laxus… that's South." Lucy announced.

Laxus flinched and whirled around. "I knew that!" he snapped, storming passed her.

Lucy smirked and winked at Wendy who covered her mouth to stifle her giggles.

Wendy turned her head away with a "Hmph."

"So, Laxus. What was that "unfinished" business you said you had to finish in this town." Lucy asked as they followed after the older blonde.

"It's none of your concern." Laxus answered quickly.

Lucy folded her arms, pouting. "Fine then, don't tell us."

"Wasn't planning to." Laxus smirked over his shoulder. Lucy glared at him but sighed.

As the 4 companions walked in silence out of the village, Lucy couldn't help but notice the dull atmosphere.

"This is boring." Lucy thought dryly. She glanced at Wendy, who looked like she wanted to say something to brighten up the mood, but didn't know what. Lucy thought for a moment, hoping to find something to brighten up everyone's day.

"Hey Wendy." She smiled over her shoulder.  
>"Yes?" Wendy asked, looking up at the celestial mage in surprise.<br>"Truth or dare."

"You have got to be kidding me, you're really going to play that stupid game?" Laxus asked over his shoulder with a scowl.

"It's not stupid, it's a very fun and loved by all game… except for you Laxus, who is a sour apple and doesn't know how to kick back and act like a kid for once." Lucy yelled at him, waving her fist in the air.

"Maybe that because I'm an adult." Laxus suggested. "Unlike you, little girl." Laxus smirked.

"I'm almost 18!" Lucy yelled in anger, preparing to pounce at the older blonde. "Besides you're only… 4 or 5 years older then me." Lucy announced.

Laxus's smirk stayed plastered on his face as he stared at the younger celestial mage.

Wendy, after much thought finally came to an answer. "Truth." She said.

Lucy nodded, thinking for a moment. "Okay… Do you think Laxus is a sour apple?" Lucy asked, her tone for some reason getting very serious.

Wendy blinked, flinching when Laxus stopped to stare at her. "W-Well… I uh… That is to say-"

"You HAVE to tell the truth Wendy!" Lucy yelled, pointing at her.

Wendy squeaked jumping back a bit. "W-Well… It's just that… I suppose sometimes you-"

"AH HA! See Laxus! You are a sour apple!" Lucy yelled, pointing at Laxus in victory.

Laxus glared at her, scowling.

Wendy looked down at her feet, feeling embarrassed.

"Okay fine, my turn." Laxus said, folding his arms. "Lucy, truth or dare?"

Lucy blinked, smirking at Laxus for giving in. "I thought this game was stupid."

"It is, so just shut up and pick on." Laxus snapped.

Lucy chuckled. "Okay fine, Truth."

"Are you going out with that celestial spirit of yours? Loki I think his name was." Laxus asked?

"W…. WHAT SORT OF QUESTION IS THAT!" Lucy demanded.

Laxus shrugged. "It's just a question.'  
>"Why do you want to know!"<p>

Laxus shrugged again, looking away. "Just answer."

Lucy stared at Laxus for a long time before sighing, flinching at the stare Wendy and Charle were giving her.

"Okay fine, if you all really want to know. Loki is nice, though mostly a playboy, and he's one of my strongest celestial spirits… but…" Lucy paused rubbing her head in thought. "Even if I did like Loki in that way, it would never work out. He's immortal, and we have a contract, I'm pretty sure we will both be in pretty big trouble if we go passed a comrade relationship." Lucy explained.

Laxus fell silent but slowly nodded. "Okay." He said turning away.

"Hey wait, that's all? Why did you want to even know how I felt about Loki anyway!" Lucy yelled at the older blonde.  
>Laxus shrugged again. "Information gathering. I don't know anything about you, and you know nothing about me, so now we know something about each other." Laxus smirked over his shoulder.<br>"Information gathering- wait! That's not fair! I still know almost nothing about you!" Lucy yelled angrily running after the fleeing Laxus.

Wendy chuckled at the two as she followed after them. "Aren't they fun Charle?" Wendy laughed.

'Their noisy." Charle said folding her arms as she floated above Wendy's face, though she couldn't help but smile back at Wendy bright mood.

"Laxus truth or dare!" Lucy yelled, slowly catching up to the older mage.

"I'm not playing this stupid game."

"But you just asked me truth or dare!" Lucy argued.  
>"I have no recollection of that." Laxus shrugged innocently, a small smirk tugging at his lips.<p>

"JERK!"

As the three continued down the path leading into the mountains ahead, Lucy glanced over her shoulder at Wendy, who was happily chatting with Charle.

Even if Wendy was capable of great things, she couldn't help but be worried about her. To send a child on a mission that involved several different guilds, it's just seemed too dangerous. She would never say that out loud. Wendy seemed doubtful of her abilities as it was, she didn't want her to feel even more self-conscious of her strength.

"Training time!"

Lucy gasped in shock when Laxus suddenly stopped in front of her, causing her to run into his back.

"Laxus!" Lucy scolded, stepping back and holding her nose in pain. "What do you mean training?"

"It's just as I said." Laxus said over his shoulder, pointing ahead.

Lucy blinked, obviously confused. She looked over Laxus's shoulder, to stare at the area ahead of them. "Okay… I'll be honest… what am I looking at?" Lucy asked, staring up at the older blonde.

"That." Laxus smirked, pointing straight forward. Lucy looked back forward and her eyes widened.

"You mean… that boulder?" Lucy asked slowly.

Laxus nodded. "Punch it."

"… Why would I just randomly punch a boulder?" Lucy asked slowly, trying to keep an even tone.

"Afraid?"

"Of course I'm not afraid! It just seems pointless to just punch a boulder!" Lucy yelled angrily.

"I asked you a month ago, when we first left, to punch a boulder. Remember?" Lucy paused to stare a Laxus.

It was true, a few days after they had left Oshibana, Laxus had made them stop in the middle of a field, and just so she could punch a boulder. She had tried, and had lost all feeling in her right hand for around 2 hours.

"At that time you could not even make a dent in it. You were weak since you just got out of the hospital so I can't blame you that much. Even so, you said most of the training I have put you through was pointless, so I ask you to prove that right now, and punch the boulder." Laxus folded his arms over his chest and stared down at Lucy, his eyes calm and challenging.

Lucy glanced back at Wendy and Charle, who were both staring at Lucy, wondering what the celestial mage would do.

Lucy sighed. "Okay, fine." Lucy trudged towards the boulder and stared at the large gray rock. She glanced down at her right fist then back at the boulder.

"Do I really have to?" she asked, looking over her shoulder at Laxus with a pout. Laxus nodded. Lucy sighed once again and brought her fist back.

"It's going to be painful." The thought came into her mind quickly, causing her to tense up and hesitate.

"Don't be so tense, or it's definitely going to hurt." Laxus called out calmly.

"I know that!" Lucy snapped.

"This is ridiculous." Charle said, folding her arms. "Like she could actually break the rock."

"What did you say!" Lucy demanded, glaring at the female cat.

"Your arm muscle is too weak to even indent the boulder." Charle said skeptically, glaring at Lucy right back. Wendy fell silent. She couldn't break the boulder either. Poor Lucy.

"The possibilities of you breaking the boulder-"

"I'll break it!"

Charle blinked in surprise, looking at Lucy in shock.

"I'll prove Laxus and you wrong! It doesn't matter if I look weak or not! As long as I believe in myself, I wont ever give up!" Lucy glared at the boulder, trying to imagine it as someone she didn't like. "This boulder is an enemy…. It hurt your friends…. Its… it looks like Laxus, ya that's right." Lucy muttered softly as she tried to imagine the large boulder as the blonde mage.

The boulder was that stupid, mean, cruel, un-caring, obnoxious, slave driving, perverted, jerk!

"Jerk!" Lucy screamed, throwing her arm back then shooting it forward, smacking her hand into the boulder.

The groups eyes widened as a large crack went shooting throughout the boulder, causing it to split in two. The group fell silent, staring in awe.

"I… I… did I just…" Lucy stuttered softly, not believing her very eyes. Sure she felt a little stronger in her arms from Laxus's training… but not this much! Lucy slowly looked down at her hand, feeling only a small tingle from her knuckle. "I… I did it!" Lucy smiled, whirling around towards her friends. "Laxus I did it!" Lucy smiled brightly at the older mage, who simply nodded his head.

"She… actually did it." Charle said softly.

Wendy couldn't believe her eyes. **"It doesn't matter if I look weak or not! As long as I believe in myself, I won't ever give up!"** those words echoed through her mind, as if on a cycle. "Lucy." She said softly, smiling.

"In your face Charle!" Lucy laughed, pointing at the pouting cat. "Hahaha!" Lucy placed her hands on her hips grinning brightly. She paused. "I…" she looked at Laxus who was just smirking up at the sky above. "Laxus." She said softly, causing the older mage to look at her confused.

"What?"

"Thank you." Lucy smiled. Laxus blinked in confusion. "I'm sorry I didn't believe in your teaching abilities, thank you so much. I would never have been able to do that before if I didn't have you."  
>Laxus took a step back in surprise. Lucy simply smiled at him, but blinked staring closely at Laxus's cheeks. Were they red? Was Laxus Dreyar… embarrassed?<p>

"Ehh?" Lucy smirked.

"Shut up!" Laxus snapped, looking away to cover his face. "Lets get going, we have a lot to do and a long way to go!" Laxus stormed passed Lucy and the cracked boulder and towards the second path. Lucy chuckled.  
>"Shall we go?" Lucy asked.<p>

"Yes!" Wendy smiled running next to Lucy, holding a silent Charle.

"Hey Wendy." Lucy asked.

"Hmm?" Wendy asked, looking up at the celestial mage.

"I probably should have asked you this when I first met you but, what type of magic do you use?"

"Oh beside being able to heal, I also am able to use sky dragon slayer magic." Wendy smiled.

Both Lucy and Laxus, who was listening from ahead, stopped to stare at the younger mage.  
>"Dragon slayer?" Lucy asked, staring at Wendy intently.<p>

Wendy, who suddenly felt very nervous, nodded. "Yes." Both of her new companions stared at her silently. "They… probably don't believe me." Wendy thought sadly, but the look in Lucy's eyes said otherwise. She looked… sad. As if she was lost in her own thoughts, staring at Wendy as if in a dream.

"That's… really amazing Wendy. Since Dragon Slayer magic is so rare." Lucy smiled softly, snapping out of her daze.

Wendy nodded, still confused to why Lucy stared at her like that.

"So, since you're the sky dragon slayer, what does that mean you eat?" Laxus asked.  
>"Eat?" Wendy asked, wondering why he would start with that topic.<p>

"I met a few dragon slayers before… one of them even ate Metal, so it was just wondering." Laxus shrugged.  
>"Oh." Wendy blinked, suddenly becoming very excited at the thought of there being other dragon slayers. "I eat the air." She smiled.<br>"Isn't that technically breathing." Laxus questioned with a scowl.

"Don't be rude!" Lucy snapped, hitting him on top of the head.

Wendy blinked, slowly smiling. "Haha!" she laughed smiling brightly.


	11. The Cave of Teumia

**New chapy! Everyone, guess what! I was looking at the story stats on this story, which I haven't done in a while…. And it said my story had around 10,264 hits! HITS! My eyes bugged out and I fell on the floor in a wild spasm! My sister looked at me like I was crazy! But I am so thankful to all of you who review and read my story! Thank you soo much! When I started writing this, I doubted my ability as a writer. I know now that it doesn't matter if you have good detail or spelling, all that matters is that you have fun with it, and put your entire heart and soul into it! Thank you all soo much! I hope you enjoy!**

It wasn't like she meant for this to happen. Honestly, if Laxus had just been smart, and asked for stupid directions, none of this would have happened! All he had to do was walk up to the first citizen he saw and ask if we should take the left or right path to get to the Eastern Forest… but no, he had to go marching into the cave, which is were they were now…. And were they were trapped.

It didn't even make sense that he would want to go through the cave instead of the path. I mean sure, the cave went straight through the mountain and into the Eastern Forest on the other side, but anyone who went in the cave was never seen again! It was suppose to be a never ending death trap… AND HE WENT STRAIGHT INTO IT!

Lucy had even said before they entered "Why not take the paths?"  
>Oh but Laxus said "It's better training. It will help you other sense, like your ears, fight in dark places." Counting on how it was pitch black in the cave.<p>

Laxus lead the 3 girls through the cave, holding up a lantern for some light. They had been walking for 2 hours now, and there was still no sing of any light. She had notice a skeleton or two on their way, but decided it would be better not scare Wendy.

"Laxus, we're lost aren't we." Lucy sighed.

"We are not, we just have to continue straight." Laxus scowled over his shoulder.

Lucy sighed. "My feet hurt."

"Stop complaining." Charle said.

"You aren't even walking, you're making Wendy carry you!" Lucy yelled at the white cat, who just looked away with a "Hmph."

Wendy chuckled softly. "It's okay Lucy." She smiled. "We'll be out of here soon."

"Hopefully." Lucy sighed.

They was a long pause between the group. The only sound was the shuffle of their feet and the sound of their breath.

"Hey, Lucy." Wendy said.

"Hmm?" Lucy asked, glancing at the younger blue haired mage.

"Did you know there is an old legend to this cave?" Wendy asked.

"Legend?" Lucy asked, tilting her head.

Wendy nodded. "The villager told me it before we came in." Wendy announced.  
>"Huh? I don't remember you talking with him."<br>"That's because you were to busy fighting with Laxus on which was to go." Charle deadpanned.

Lucy flinched. "Oh… right. Anyway, what's the legend about?"

"They say this cave was made by a very powerful mage a long time ago. You see, the two towns that lived on each side of the mountain were very close allies… but because of the long trip around the mountain, it was hard to get information to one another. The great mage, whose name was Teu, lived on the West side of the mountain, and had a mission to take a message to the town on the North side of the mountain. The trip took a whole day, and held many dangers. When he reached the town and gave the message to the council of the head, Teu fell in love with a farm girl, who lived there. Her name was Mai, and she was very beautiful."

Laxus glanced over his shoulder, listening to the story in silence.

"The two fell in love instantly, but Teu had to run back to his village to tell them the message had been sent safely, but he had promised to return for her as soon as he was done. Mai believe in Teu and knew he would return. However, as soon as Teu returned to his village, he heard that the North village was being raided and the citizens were being killed. The West village sent as many able fighters as possible, but there was no way they could get there in time. Teu was worried for Mai, and was determined to rescue her. The more he thought of Mai, the more of his powers grew. They said it grew so big that it cut into the mountain. After that, the mountain moved on it's own and made a cave. The fighters ran through the cave and straight to the North village. There was a problem though, as they ran through the cave, the walls and tunnels seemed to change. Teu could hear Mia calling to him though, and was able to lead the way through the cave."

"Change?" Lucy asked.

Wendy nodded. "Teu had used so much magic to change the shape of the mountain and cave, that the magic sunk into the roots of the mountain and forever stayed there, constantly changing the tunnels."

Lucy's eyes widened as she listened intently to the story.

"When they got to the North village, only a few villagers remained. The warriors fought of the raiders and saved the remainders of the town. Teu desperately searched for Mai, but she seemed to have disappeared. Teu blamed himself, for not coming back faster and saving Mai."

Lucy could fell tears swelling in her eyes. Laxus and Charle stayed silent.

"As he helped the villagers and rescued as many as he could, he heard a soft voice call out to him from behind him. "I knew you would come back." The voice said. When Teu turned around, there stood his beloved Mai, who had been working in the fields when the raid started and was able to escape. They villagers and warriors cheered when the two were reunited and named the cave after their love. The cave was name Teumia."

"Teumia." Lucy murmured.

"The legends says that only love will guide you through the Cave of Teumia." Wendy smiled.  
>"Love." Laxus scoffed. "That's ridiculous."<p>

"I think it's wonderful!" Lucy snapped at him. Laxus stared at her, scowling. He rolled his eyes and looked forward again.

"You said the tunnels were constantly moving in the story, right?" Charle asked Wendy, who looked down at the white cat in confusion.

"Yes." Wendy nodded.

"Are the tunnels still moving today?"

Wendy stopped. "I… don't know." Wendy said softly, suddenly growing worried.

"If that's true, then we're trapped in here…" Laxus deadpanned.  
>"Don't say that in such a relaxed tone! This is serious!" Lucy yelled angrily at him. Laxus shrugged.<p>

"This tunnel had been around for a long time, if the Teu guy really did use magic to make this cave, that probably means that Teu is dead and his magic disappeared with him." Laxus said calmly.

"Even if you say that though-"

"We'll be fine." Laxus cut Wendy off. "Just keep walking. We've lost enough time all ready."

Lucy pouted at the older blonde but did as she was told and continued walking. As they walked in silence, Lucy listened intently to the sounds of the tunnels. It didn't sound like the tunnels were moving…. But then again… it could always be possible.

"I guess the idea of Teu's magic still being in the mountain is a little far fetched." Lucy said, rubbing her chin in thought. Wendy nodded slowly.

"We'll you two just drop it. The magic is gone already so just-" Laxus was interrupted when the ground suddenly started to shack. Laxus's eyes widened in surprise and the lantern fell from his hands, hitting the floor below.  
>"W-What the- an earthquake!" Lucy gasped!<br>"No this is something different!" Charle yelled!

Lucy lost her balance, and fell to her knees, Wendy soon joining her.  
>"D-Do you think the tunnels might be moving?" Lucy called to the three companions.<br>"Don't be stupid!" Laxus yelled.  
>"Shut up Laxus!" Lucy snapped back. Lucy gasped when her key suddenly un-hooked from her belt fell next to her. "My keys!" Lucy gasped, reaching for them, but ended up only falling backwards.<br>"Lucy!" Wendy yelled when the wall next to Charle and her suddenly opened up and she fell inside.

"The tunnels are changing!" Lucy gasped. "In your face Laxus!"  
>"Lucy!" Laxus scolded, trying to reach for Wendy and Charle. Wendy reached her hand back, trying to grab the older mages hand, but was suddenly jerked back and fell into another part of the tunnel. "Wendy! Charle!" Lucy yelled when the wall suddenly closed, separating them for the two younger mages.<p>

"Da-"

"Don't cuss!" Lucy snapped at the older mage who just flinched under the shacking earth. Lucy's eyes widened when the wall suddenly opened up from behind her as well.  
>"L-Laxus!" she squeaked.<p>

"Lucy!" Laxus gasped, trying to grab the younger blonde. Lucy fell backwards, screaming as she fell down some sort of pit. "LUCY!"

Those were the last words Lucy heard, before the world went dark.

-Laxus POV-

The wall closed up quickly and the ground stopped shacking, leaving me sitting there, holding me hand towards the spot Lucy had just disappeared.

"L…" her name couldn't come out of my lips. Wendy, Lucy, and Charle, all of them… gone. No wait, they had to still be in the tunnels. We we're just separated. I quickly grabbed the lantern and looked around for which way to go. My eyes widened when something glistened in the light of the flame.

That idiot dropped her keys! I quickly picked up the golden and silver keys and stared at them. She would probably be sad if she lost these… wait… why do I care if that idiot blonde was sad or not?

Stuffing the keys into my pocket I trudged forward. Those idiots girls were probably crying by now.

Honestly, I can't leave them alone for a second.

"**The legends says that only love will guide you through the Cave of Teumia."**

I paused, rethinking Wendy's words over and over in my head. "Love." I chuckled bitterly. "Please, like that could ever get us out of here."

"**Thank you so much. I would never have been able to do that before if I didn't have you.**" (Lucy says this in chapter 10, just a reminder)

I froze. I gritted my teeth, smacking my forehead with my hand. Why was I thinking of that idiot now? I looked down at my feet, glaring at them intently. Lucy would be fine on her own, including Wendy and her little flying cat. So what am I all worried about? I shook my head and continued forward.

-Wendy and Charle-

"We lost the others Charle." Wendy sniffed, holding on to the small cat tightly in one arm and a spare lantern she had in the other.

"Those idiots. Taking the tunnels instead of the paths outside the mountain, how incredible stupid." Charle muttered, trying to comfort the blue haired mage.

"I hope Laxus and Lucy are all right." Wendy said.

"You should be more concerned about your own safety." Charle scolded.  
>"B-But, they're probably worried and looking for us." Wendy said quickly. "We have to find them soon!" Wendy ran forward, tripping a couple times over some rocks.<p>

In all honesty… Wendy didn't want to lose Laxus and Lucy now, after she had just become friends with them.

Besides Charle, they were some of her first friends. She wanted to stay with them.

Charle sighed. She hated to admit it… but she was worried about the two blondes as well. Who knows what trouble they might get into if they were left alone.

-Lucy!-

Pain enveloped her entire body. "Ow." Lucy winced opening her eyes. Dark, everything was so dark. "Where am I?" Lucy thought, sitting up but instantly regretting it. "T-That's right, I'm in the tunnels. Laxus, Wendy, and Charle… are all missing." Lucy muttered, reaching into her backpack to pull out a match and small pink lantern that was slightly cracked. She lit the match and placed inside the lantern to set the candle ablaze.

Lucy blew out the match and stuck it in her pocket to throw away later.

She lifted up the lantern to look at her surroundings. It was still the same as usual… cave.

She got to her feet, shacking her dizziness away. "I have to find the others." She muttered. She looked down at her leg, which was a little sore. She took a small step forward, then another. She was fine.

"Okay." She nodded. "Now time to find everyone else." Knowing Laxus, and Laxus's sense of direction, he was probably going around in circles.

Wendy and Charle we're probably rushing to find Laxus and her, so she couldn't waist any time! Maybe Virgo could help. "Okay-" Lucy froze as she reached her hand down to grab her keys… which were no longer there.  
>"O-Oh no… I dropped the… Aquarius is going to kill me!" Lucy screamed in horror. Lucy ran forward, in desperate search of her friends and lost keys.<p>

**Ending it here! Hope you enjoyed part 1!**


	12. The Cave of Teumia part 2

Lucy sighed as she trudged through the never-ending tunnels. "They can't be that far away." She muttered, lifting the lantern a little bit higher to see her surroundings. The ground was made of rocks, the walls were made of rocks, and separate rocks lay randomly on the floor. It was a rock world.

"I wonder if a person can befriend a rock." Lucy muttered, picking up an average size piece around the size of her hand. "Hello Rock, my name is Lucy. I am going to die in a cave with never ending tunnels, a week before my Birthday no less, because of an idiot named Laxus." Lucy said to the rock. "Who is Laxus you ask? Oh he's just a blonde idiot who has no sense of directions, teases me all the time, and constantly puts me through hell."

The rock was silent.

Not like Lucy was expecting it to reply back anyway.

"I suppose you're wondering why we are in a cave, huh, Mr. Rock? Or are you Ms. Rock, or maybe ? Are you married? Do you have little pebble children?" Lucy chuckled softly. At least she found some way to entertain herself. Though if Laxus ever saw her talking to a rock, he would probably never let her live it down. "I think I'll call you Alex, since that's a girl and boy name. You see Alex, I met Laxus a couple months ago. I didn't know him well, and had only had bad memories with him. See the last time I saw him, before we started traveling together; he tried to disintegrate me with his lightning. I was his hostage. I still haven't gotten him back for it, oh but just you wait, the time will come for that." Lucy chuckled evilly, scheming of different ways to get payback against Laxus. Lucy's expression softened. "It's weird though… Though Laxus is always mean to me, and once tried to kill me… he's saved my life. More than once actually." Lucy rubbed her soar neck as she tossed Alex in her hand a few times.

Alex of course didn't say anything at all.

"I wonder why he saved me that day. It wasn't like he would gain anything from it. Sure I owed him a favor, but he just ended up taking me with him. He's worked me like a dog, but he also bought me new cloths, and a new sword." Lucy glanced down at her celestial sword in wonder. "He's such a weird guy. I should probably be more grateful towards him, huh?" Lucy sighed. "All's he done is protect me… even when he didn't want to." Lucy's mind flashed back to the day she met Wendy and Charle. Laxus had protected her then too. He took a sword to the hand for her.

Lucy paused from her little walked down the tunnel to stare at the ground. "Hey, Alex…" Lucy eyes were wide. "I think… I think I…" Lucy's face began to get red. Laxus's face came into her mind in all-different flashes. His smile, his frown, his scowl. All of them… seemed oddly intriguing to her. "No no no, snap out of it Lucy." Lucy chuckled nervously slapping her face slightly with the lantern. "Ow." She muttered, glaring at it.

"Um… R-Right, as I was saying. T-There's… also Wendy!" Lucy laughed, glad to change the topic. Though she didn't understand what she was so worried for. The only one there was Alex… and Alex was a rock.

"Wendy's a girl I met a couple days ago. She's reminds me of me a couple months ago. She doubts her abilities, but I can sense great power from her too." What was she saying? She still felt weak herself. Though Laxus had helped gain her courage and confidence, she still had to depend on him. "Wendy's a really nice girl. She has a companion named Charle too. Charle reminds me of Laxus in a way. She has the same annoyed look whenever I'm too loud." Lucy laughed to herself. "I can tell though, she really cares about Wendy a lot. Oh yeah, did I mention Charle is a cat, who can fly. Serious, she has wings and everything! She's a really cute cat, but she often tries to act mature and in control. In a way, sort of like Erza." Lucy paused. Erza. It had been a long time since Lucy had thought about the scarlet haired mage.

"B-But, she has a good heart. I hope Charle isn't mad that we all got separated. Knowing her, she will probably yell at me as soon as I find her. If… I find her." Lucy sighed. "Man! This tunnel is too long!" she yelled in frustration. Lucy glanced at her lantern. She only had one candle, and it was already half gone. "I have to find everyone soon." She said softly, picking up her pace.

-Charle and Wendy-

"Charle, do you think Lucy and Laxus are all right?" Wendy asked softly.

"You should be more concerned about yourself." Charle scolded, not willing to admit that she was in fact also worried about the older blonds.

Wendy lifted up her lantern, suddenly very glad Laxus was nice enough to buy it for her. Though Lucy also had to convince him at that time.

The tunnels seemed to never end. They hadn't come to a turn in a while, so it seemed as if the tunnel continued to move on straight forward, on a never-ending path.

Wendy blinked when she suddenly remembered the legend of Teumia. "Only love will guide your way." Wendy thought, repeating the words over and over in her mind. If that was the case, then maybe they could get out of her. Wendy loved Charle with all her heart and soul. Charle was her best friend and loyal companion. Then Lucy… Lucy had been so nice and supportive. She was like… a big sister.

Wendy smiled softly. She had never had a sister before. Maybe the time she spent with Lucy was what it was like to have one.

Then there was Laxus. Laxus was like a neighbor who didn't seem to like her much… but Wendy could tell he cared.

Lucy and Laxus.

How did they feel about each other? Though she had often seen signs of it just being a master and apprentice relationship, they could also very well be frienemies.

Or… maybe even more than that?

Wendy was only 12, but even she could see that the two older mages were having trouble figuring out how they felt about each other. Which wouldn't really be a problem, but since they were in a cave where love was the only way to escape, the two older mages may have to pick up the pace a bit on their feelings.

"Do you think Lucy and Laxus are looking for us?" Wendy asked Charle, who was floating above her.

"Those stupid mages are probably walking around in circles or talking to rocks." Charle said, folding her arms. (Wow, straight on the dot there 0.0)

Wendy chuckled. "Talking to rocks?"

"Knowing that blond spirit mage, that's probably the case." Charle shrugged.

Wendy chuckled. "That just very well be true." She laughed.

Charle smiled softly at Wendy and looked forward again. "The tunnels might change again soon, we should hurry." Charle said.

Wendy nodded.

-Laxus-=-

Laxus scowled in frustration. Where were those girls anyway?

These tunnels couldn't be that big. Laxus decided to take a small break and sat on the ground, leaning his back against the cave wall.

"Seriously…" he sighed. "I wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for that idiot." Laxus muttered, Lucy's face flashing into his mind.

"**I…I want to go to Heaven's Groove!"** (Lucy says this in chapter 4)

Laxus leaned his head back. Why did he even say yes to that in the first place? It takes forever to get there, and it would take even longer because they had to get the flying cat and sky dragon girl where they needed to go first.

Laxus scowled. Why did he even offer to let Lucy come with him? She would have been fine if he had just left her at Oshibana.

Then again, he wouldn't have the entertainment of seeing Lucy yell at him for his ridiculous training methods.

Laxus's scowl slowly disappeared to a small, slightly confused, frown.

He wouldn't know where he was going most of the time either if it wasn't for her.

Wendy might even be dead right now if it wasn't for Lucy. Charle would probably have been sad too.

**Laxus!**

Lucy's voice filled Laxus's mind. Her vanilla/strawberry scent. Her silky blonde hair, peach white skin, chocolate brown eyes- WAIT A MINUTE! What was he thinking?

Laxus growled to himself as he rose to his feet.

"Get a grip Laxus." He hissed, trudging forward. "You have to-"

"!"

Laxus jumped in surprise as a scream filled the air. A very familiar scream.

Lucy?

-Lucy-

Lucy stared up in horror at the beast before her.

She had just been walking along, searching for her friends. There was a cut in the tunnel though. She could have either gone left or right… she should have picked the left path.

For now, a large bear, BEAR, stood in front of her. It was huge!

Even on all fours it head's still almost touched the ceiling of the tunnel.

The bear stared down at her, as if it had just found it's next victim.

Lucy squeaked as it came closer to her, causing her two stumble backwards and fall onto the ground.

"P-Please don't eat me." She begged the bear softly, holding up Alex as a shield, completely forgetting about her sword.

"Eat you?" the bear asked.

"Y-Yes!" Lucy shrieked. Lucy paused. Wait a minute… did the bear just… talk? Lucy slowly turned her head back at the bear, which was now sitting in front of her, staring at her blankly. "D-Did you just… talk?" Lucy asked softly.

"Yes." The bear nodded.

"…And I thought I had seen everything." Lucy muttered over her shoulder. "So then… you're not going to eat me?" Lucy asked, scotching a little bit further from the bear.

The bear's voice sounded a little feminine, so Lucy was assuming this bear was a girl.

"I get a visitor for the first time in 8 months and you assume I'm going to eat you. I'm a civilized Samaritan, not a monster." The bear said, slightly insulted.

"Civilized Samaritan?" Lucy questioned softly.

"So, what brings you to my little cave of wonder?" the bear asked, tilting it's head.

"Oh, sorry to intrude, it didn't realize this was your home." Lucy quickly rose to her feet and bowed towards the bear. "My name is Lucy Heartfillia. I came here with my friends, but we got separated when the tunnels changed. I'm just trying to find them now." Lucy explained. She didn't know why, but she felt like she could trust this bear.

The bear nodded slowly. "Good day to you Lucy Heartfillia. My name is Iris. I am, what you say, the guardian of these tunnels. If you wish to find you're friends you may come with me. In the section you're in, it's not safe to be walking around with only a rock as a weapon." Iris said.

"Section?" Lucy questioned. Wait… not safe?

Iris nodded, getting on all fours she started walking down the tunnel. Lucy quickly followed. "I am not the only being who lives in these tunnels Lucy Heartfillia. If what you say is true, and you're friends are somewhere in these tunnels… they are in danger."

Lucy's eyes widened. "Danger? What sort of danger."

Lucy's question was soon answered when a large roar was heard throughout the cave.

"We must hurry. They all ready sense your prescreens within the cave." Iris said, nudging Lucy forward.

"W-Wait, what's sensed me?" Lucy asked as she pushed forward. What was going on?

"Not here." Iris said, using her teeth to pick Lucy up by her shirt and run forward.

"Wah! H-Hey!" Lucy yelled, shacking her arms and feet around in protest. "I can walk you know!"

"You're slow." Iris muttered.

-Wendy and Charle-

"What was that?" Wendy gasped as a loud roar was heard through the tunnels.

"I don't know. It didn't sound too close, but we should keep moving just in case." Charle said, taking Wendy's hand.

Wendy nodded and the two ran forward.

-Laxus-

Laxus paused when he heard a roar. Lucy wasn't anywhere near what ever that was, right? Though he had heard her scream, the roar came after that.

Laxus ran forward, gripping Lucy's keys tightly in his grip.

-Lucy and Iris-

"Here we are." Iris said, dropping Lucy on some hay.

They were in a small round section of the cave, sort of like a den. The exit was a small hole, leading into the tunnels.

"This is my home, please make yourself at home." Iris nodded.

"T-Thank you." Lucy nodded. "But about my friends." Lucy was still trying to understand just what was going on. To think, a giant bear lived in these caves… a talking bear no less.

"Don't worry. I will go and find them." Iris said softly. "I know these tunnels better than you. Just wait here with the little ones and I shall bring your friends to you."

Lucy blinked. "….Okay… wait… little ones?" Lucy questioned.

Iris smiled, if that is possible for a bear, when two bundles of fur came running out from behind a rock.

"My children." Iris smiled as the two small, brown, bear cubs ran towards her and rubbed their heads against her legs.

The two cubs paused when they saw Lucy, and quickly hid behind their mother. Iris chuckled.

"Tori, Rilo." She said softly. "This is Lucy. She's your baby sitter."

"Babysitter?" Lucy demanded, shocked.

The two cubs, who looked very much like Iris, except smaller… and cuter, slowly peeked out from behind their mom's leg.

They looked Lucy up and down before stumbling towards her.

"W-W-Whoa wait!" Lucy yelped in shock as the two cubs tackled her to the ground. "G-Gack, okay okay, It's nice to meet you two!" Lucy chuckled as the two licked her face, snuggling close to her.

Iris chuckled. "I shall return soon. Stay inside the den, and nothing shall harm you." With that said, Iris left, leaving Lucy alone with two little bear clubs.

"So…. Tori." The one on the left bounced up and down. "And Rilo." The right cub wagged his small little tail in response.

"Okay then… I can do this. It's just like babysitting. Except… your bear cubs…" Lucy rubbed her head in thought. "What do you two want to do?" she asked.

Rilo and Tori squeaked in response, stumbling towards the stack of hay. Once they got close enough they both dove into the large pile, disappearing instantly.

"H-Hey!" Lucy yelled, running towards the hay. "Um…" Lucy moved some hay around, trying to find the lost cubs. "Hello? Tori, Rilo. Where did you two go?" Lucy pushed more hay out of the way, but the pile was too thick. Lucy sighed, but blinked when she heard a squeak not to far away.

"Tori?"

No response.

Lucy smirked. "Rilo?"

A small smirk could be heard a little to her left. "I… gotcha!" Lucy yelled, pushing her hands into the hay to meet soft fur. Lucy lifted Rilo out of the pile and sighed. "Now you're covered in hay." She said, as she held the cub in one arm and plucked some strands of hay off with her other hand.

She blinked when she felt something nudge against her leg. She looked down to see Tori, rubbing her head against her leg, also wishing for attention.

Lucy chuckled. "Cute." She smiled, picking both of the cubs up and holding them close.

-Wendy and Charle-

The roaring had stopped after awhile, leaving Wendy and Charle to walk in silence. "What do you think that thing was?" Wendy asked softly.

"Who knows." Charle said, folding her arms.

"Ah, there you are." Wendy and Charle both froze at the sound of a female voice behind them.

"Lucy!" Wendy whirled around, suddenly becoming very happy that Lucy had found them, but froze. In front of them was not a smiling celestial mage… but a bear. A BEAR!

"B-B-Bear." Wendy squeaked.

"What the-" Charle muttered, staring up at the bear with wide eyes.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH! IT'S GOING TO EAT US!" Wendy cried out in terror.

The bear flinched, it's small ears folding back over its head. "What's with you humans and instantly assuming I'm going to eat you. You're just like that little blonde girl." The bear sighed.

Wendy and Charle paused to stare at the bear. "…. IT CAN TALK!"

"I have a name you know!" the bear snapped angrily at the two.

Wendy and Charle flinched.

"A talking bear… that's not possible." Wendy said.

"Yet it's perfectly okay for a cat to talk?" the bear asked, tilting it's head.

"…Touché." Charle nodded.

"Geez." The bear sighed. "My name is Iris. I'm assuming you're friends of Lucy Heartfillia, correct?"

Wendy's eyes widened. "You know Lucy? You didn't eat her did you! Give Lucy back!" Wendy burst out into tears.

Iris could only stare. Humans were….really odd.

"Um… no, I didn't eat her. She's safe. I found her a little while ago and offered my help to her. You're all my guests after all." Iris said, bowing her head to the two. "Really?" Wendy smiled. "Nice to meet you, my name is Wendy!" Wendy smiled bowing back. "Wait a minute." Charle interrupted. "Knowing that stupid celestial mage, she probably didn't question you very well. Why are you helping us?" Charle demanded.

Iris blinked. "Why would I not? You've done no wrongs to me, and you're friend Lucy was nice enough to watch my cubs for me. So I see no reason to not help you get out of my cave. Besides… I really don't want little humans running around in the tunnels all day long. It's just annoying after a while." Iris shrugged.

Charle folded her arms, not completely buying it. "Charle, please. She says she knows where Lucy is." Wendy begged.

"What about Laxus?" Charle continued.

"Laxus? Is there another human walking around in here? I thought I smelled something else. It must be him. He's not to far away. We can go to him now if you want. It would be troublesome to walk all the way back to my den, just to walk all the way back over here."

Charle flinched. This bear sounded more and more lazy by the second.

"If that is all the questions you may have, may I ask that we begin our depart. It is not wise to stay in the same place for long." Iris said over her shoulder.

"Why is that?" Wendy asked.

"As I told your friend Lucy when I first found her, I am not the only being who lives in these tunnels." Iris said softly.

"What do you mean?" Charle asked, folding her arms.

"I suppose you could say…. I have a neighbor, who doesn't take kindly to guests. He thinks of humans more as… a meal then guests."

Wendy gasped and covered her mouth, suddenly very worried about the well being of her companions.

"Do not worry, we shall find your other friend before anything bad happens." Iris reassured.

Wendy nodded, staring at the ground below her. "I hope your right." Wendy said softly. "About what you said before." Charle announced, which cause Iris to look at her.

"You said that the stupid celestial mage was watching your cubs… are you sure that was a bright idea?" Charle asked.

"Charle!" Wendy scolded.

Iris chuckled. "I believe that Lucy Heartfillia can protect them."

Charle blinked in surprise. "How can you trust her so fast?"

"I guess because…. She trusted me so quickly, I can't help but trust her back."

Wendy smiled at Iris then back at Charle, who had folded her arms and looked away.

"That's… a stupid reason." Charle whispered.

Iris chuckled.

-Laxus-

Laxus walked through the tunnels, sighing in frustration for the 17th time that day. It had probably been at least 2 hours since he had been separated from the others, and he still hadn't seen a single clue to where they might be.

"Those idiots…. They could be anywhere by now." Laxus froze at the sound of a low growl not too far ahead. He pushed his body behind one of the walls and glanced down the tunnel, hoping to see whatever had just made that sound.

A large creature, almost the as tall as the tunnels itself, crawled slowly towards Laxus. Its muzzle was low to the ground, sniffing the ground as it walked. Even from there, Laxus could see its large talons scratching on the ground, and sharp fangs, constantly snapping, as if searching for food.

Laxus, not willing to waist time with battle, quickly backed away down the second tunnel. If there were more creatures like that running around in these tunnels, then the others were in trouble.

Laxus quickly picked up his speed, running as fast as he could down the tunnel.

-Lucy-

Lucy sighed. "I hope your mom finds my friends soon." She said softly as she petted the cubs on the head.

Tori and Rilo bounced a bit, sniffing the ground. They both whimpered and nudged against Lucy's foot.

"What is it?" Lucy asked. Lucy soon got her answer when she heard a scratch against the tunnel walls not to far away. Lucy pushed the cubs to the back of the den, behind some hay and rocks.

"Iris said we should be safe in here… right?" Lucy whispered. Lucy's eyes widened as she looked towards the entrance of the den, and saw large paws just outside.

Sharp claws scratched against the ground as a large muzzle came towards the entrance, sniffing.

Lucy held her breath when it opened its mouth to get a better whiff, revealing rows of sharp teeth.

"It's okay, everything's going to be fine." Lucy tried to reassure the cubs as the beast outside scratched at the den walls, trying to make it big enough for it to come through. It looked a little bit like a wolf and lion combined. It's forced its large muzzle into the den, trying to sniff out, and eat Lucy and the cubs.

Lucy pushed the cubs closer to the edge of the wall, hiding them behind her.

Tori and Rilo whimpered in fear, calling out for their mother.

At the sound of their cry the beast turned it's head, snapping a couple times as it's muzzle got a little closer.

"Get out of here!" Lucy ordered pulling out her sword to slash the beast across the nose. The beast howled in pain and pulled its muzzle out from the den.

Lucy took a couple steps forward, holding her sword up defensively in case it tried to get into the den again.

"How did it find the den? Iris said it would be safe here." Lucy whispered. "…Maybe since I'm here, it could smell me." Lucy thought, glancing at the 2 cubs that were still cowering in the corner.

"It's okay. I think it's gone… maybe." Lucy whispered the last part, trying to see outside of the entrance to see if the creature was in fact gone.

Lucy took another step forward… bad move.

"Gack!" Lucy shrieked in terror when the muzzle suddenly reappeared again, chopping down on Lucy's boot, trying to pull her out. The cubs called out in terror.

"Oh no… you don't!" Lucy smacked her sword into the ground, holding her in position.

The breast pulled harder on Lucy's boot, in attempt to break her away from her sword, which she was holding on tightly too.

Using her other foot, Lucy repeatedly kicked the beast in the nose, hoping it would release her. "Let me go!" she ordered, kicking yet again.

"Lucy!"

Lucy blinked when a voice was heard outside the entrance of the cave. Was that Wendy's voice?

"Get away from my home!"

That was definitely Iris. "Wendy, Iris you-" Lucy's grip loosened just a bit, giving the beast a chance to pull her away from the sword. Lucy screamed in horror as she was dragged out from the den and thrown against the tunnel wall.

Lucy held her head and pain and looked up just in time to see Wendy, Charle, and Iris running towards them. No Laxus though.

Was he okay?

Wait, why was she worried about him? There was a giant beast over her and the first thing she thought about… was Laxus?

Lucy rolled over to the side as the beast brought its claws down, barely missing her back. Lucy scrambled to her feet, running the opposite way Wendy and the others were coming. The beast followed.

She had to get the creature away from the den or the cubs would be in trouble.

"Lucy!" Wendy and Charle ran after them, hoping to help as best they could.

-Laxus-

Laxus had officially gotten away from the beast, and could sense Lucy was close. She couldn't be too far by now.

"Ahh!"

Laxus froze at the sound of screaming.

"Lucy!"

That was Wendy's voice. Laxus turned to one of the walls and put his ear to it. The voices were coming from behind the wall. They were so close, so why was a wall the only thing separating him and his companions. His companions.

Whether Laxus wanted to admit it or not, those little brats were his responsibility. Laxus gritted his teeth and pulled his arm back, anger growing inside of him.

If those little weaklings were hurt in any way, something was going to die. Laxus brought his fist to the wall, causing it to crack under the pressure.

"Open!" Laxus yelled angrily, hitting the wall again, official breaking through the other side. Laxus climbed through the hole and looked around.

"Laxus!" he heard a gasp. Laxus whirled around to see Lucy in front of the beast he had seen before, holding her bleeding arm in pain.

Laxus's eyes widened as the beast took that as its chance to lift up its claws over Lucy's head, her focus still on Laxus.

"Watch out!" Laxus yelled. Lucy gasped and looked up just in time to see the beast claws, which slashed at her side, sending her into the wall.

Lucy body fell limp as she fell to the ground, silent and unmoving.

"Lucy!" Charle and Wendy yelled.

"Why you monster!" Laxus yelled, anger welling up inside of him as he charged forward. Laxus punched the ground below, sending shots of electricity at the beast.

The beast howled in pain as the attack reached it, sending it's body in a spasm. The beast howled in pain and anguish, quickly crawling away.

Laxus didn't bother to run after the creature and ran to Lucy's side. "Hey!" Laxus called, kneeling next to her, gently lifting up her head.

Lucy slowly opened her eyes. "Ow." She whined. "Laxus." She said softly.

"Lucy I-"

"IDIOT! Why did you distract me!' Lucy yelled angrily.

"W-What! I just saved your life!" Laxus yelled back.

"I was doing just fine till you decided to run in and call out to me! I was right by the monster and you chose then to yell at me!"

"Oh really? It seemed to me like you were having a lot of trouble. If it wasn't for me, you would probably be dead right now!"

"I would not! If you hadn't decided to come into this cave in the first place, none of this would have happened!" Lucy argued.

"OH, now every thing is suddenly my fault? You're the one who dropped your keys, stupid brat!"

Wendy and Charle sighed at the two.

"It's not my fault the tunnels suddenly changed! What took you so long anyway! Oh wait, you probably got lost didn't you?" Lucy sighed, glaring at Laxus who scowled.

"So what if I did! I spent all this time looking for all of you, and when I finally find you, what do you do? You yell at me!" Laxus barked angrily.

Lucy rolled her eyes. "You're just-" Lucy's eyes widened when she felt two large arms surround her body and bring her close.

"Don't… worry me like that… stupid girl." Laxus muttered, holding Lucy as close as he could.

Lucy's eyes were wide with shock. Was…. Laxus seriously… hugging her? "I…" Lucy slowly relaxed. Laxus had been running around all this time looking for them? He had punched through a wall just to get to them, then ended up saving them from that monster. "Thank you Laxus. Sorry for the trouble." Lucy mumbled into Laxus's shoulder.

Laxus's shoulder tensed. "Idiot!" he yelled pulling away.

"EXCUSE ME!" Lucy yelled.

"Lets just get out of here." Laxus looked away, hiding his face from Lucy as he got to his feet.

"W…Why you-" Lucy hissed, glaring up at the older blonde. Lucy got to her feet as well, and sighed. "Fine." She ran back to Wendy, who was smiling oddly at her. "What?" Lucy asked, tilting her head.  
>"Oh… nothing." Wendy smiled innocently, giving Charle a secret smile. Charle just smirked and folded her arms. "Here, let me heal your wound." Wendy offered, holding her hand out to Lucy's arm.<br>"Oh, thanks." Lucy smiled.

"Are you un-harmed, Lucy Heartfillia?" Iris asked, walking up from behind Wendy with Tori and Rilo.

"Iris!" Lucy smiled. "Yes, I am." Lucy nodded. "Thank you for finding Wendy and Charle." Lucy smiled.

Iris nodded, and looked up at Laxus, who was staring at her as if trying to decide if she were an enemy. "Is he your other companion?" Iris asked, with a knowing smirk.  
>Lucy blinked, slightly confused by Iris's look. "Yes." She said slowly.<p>

"Well, I'm glad you found all your friends. If you would like, here is the exit." Iris stomped her foot on the ground, and a large hole appeared next to them, revealing day light.

Everyone's eyes widened.

"H-How did you…" Wendy stuttered, staring at the hole.  
>"Oh, I'm the guardian of the Teumia." Iris said blankly.<p>

"You are!" Lucy gasped. Iris nodded.

"Wow, wait a minute… are you saying… you can open that entrance up whenever you want?" Charle asked.

"Yes." Iris nodded.  
>"WHY DIDN'T YOU DO THAT SOONER!" the 4 companions demanded.<p>

Iris shrugged. "They don't call this place the Cave of Teumia for nothing. You all had to prove to me you were willing to fight for each other." Iris announced.

The 4 stood there in shock.

"I… see…" Lucy said slowly. "Well… I guess this is good bye Iris." Lucy nodded towards the large bear, who nodded back. "Good bye, Tori, Rilo." Lucy smiled to the small cubs, who bounced up and down in reply.

"Finally, light." Laxus scowled stepping out of the cave.

"You could at least say thank you!" Lucy yelled towards Laxus, running up to him.

"Why would I do that?" Laxus scowled.  
>"Stop being so rude!" Lucy screeched, smacking Laxus on the head.<br>"What was that for, stupid girl!" Laxus yelled angrily.

"You're such a jerk Laxus!"

Wendy and Charle began to follow the two out of the cave, but paused when Iris chuckled.  
>"Those two…. They remind me of a young couple I knew a very long time ago." Iris said softly.<p>

Wendy blinked and looked up at Iris, confused.

Iris saw Wendy's look and smiled. "I have been around for a very long time, so have my cubs. We have seen many try to get through these tunnels, and have seen many who have failed. Every once and a while though, we see those who remind us a lot of the two who created the Cave of Teumia." Iris looked at Laxus and Lucy, who were still bickering. "Those two are just like them…. Just like Teu and Mia."

Wendy's eyes widened when Iris and her cubs suddenly disappeared. "I-Iris?" Wendy gasped.

"Where did they go?" Charle asked, looking around.

Wendy and Charle looked around frantically, but could not see the mother bear and her cubs.

"**Those two are just like them…. Just like Teu and Mia."**

Wendy and Charle slowly walked out of the Cave of Teumia and looked back just as the entrance closed up.

"Hey, Wendy Charle, are you two coming?" Lucy called.

Wendy and Charle looked at each other, then back up at the two older blondes.

"Yeah… we're coming." They both smiled knowingly to each other before running towards the older companions.

**And we end here! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! This is actually the longest chapter I have ever written! I hope you all liked it. And I am sure some of you can tell where this story is heading, couple wise anyway. I may change my mind later on, but so far… LaxusXLucy is on! If my brains suddenly thinks otherwise in later chapters I may change it, but right now, I'm going to stay with the LaxusXLucy. I looked at the reviews and a lot of people think the pairing fits.**

**Happy Thanksgiving everyone!**


	13. A new ride!

**New chapter! Please review~**

"I can't believe you got us into this!" Lucy screamed at Laxus from the back of the carriage.

"Shut up! I'm not the one who wouldn't keep their mouth shut!" Laxus snapped back, pulling on the reins to make the horses turn to the left.

"Wha!" Wendy and Charle yelled, suddenly falling to the right side of the carriage.

"Idiot! You're the one who stole the carriage!" Lucy ducked down when a sudden beam of light came shooting from the carriage chasing them from behind. Lucy yelped when Laxus suddenly turned the carriage again. "Laxus you moron! We're going in circles!" Lucy yelled.

"We are not!"

"Move over!" Lucy ordered, climbing over to the front seat and next to Laxus. "I'm driving!" Lucy grabbed the reins, trying to pull them away from Laxus's grip.

"Who said you could drive?" Laxus demanded with a scowl.

"I did, Mr. No direction sense." Lucy barked, snatching the reins from his hands. "Besides, I can't summon Sagittarius on this thing, so you have to get rid of those guys."

Laxus fell silent, as if knowing it was pointless to argue with Lucy at this point. "Fine." He muttered, climbing to the top of the carriage and glaring at the 3 carriages hot on their tails. "Keep it steady though!" Laxus said over his shoulder.

"Easier said then done.' Lucy deadpanned. Laxus scowled to her then turned back to the other carriages.

How did they come into this mess? It all went so fast that Lucy could hardly keep up. The day had started normally, though with only 3 days left to get Wendy to her destination they had been rushing a bit.

They had stopped at a town, Lunck, if Lucy recalled correctly, for a small break.

It was just to grab a bite to eat then head out towards the mountains. If only they had known earlier that this town was actually the home of the dark guild, Yamou. (Random name)

Yamou was one of the alliances of the Oracion Seis, the guild Wendy had left to stop for her mission.

Which was one of the reasons they were chasing after Lucy, Wendy, Charle, and Laxus.

"Okay, anything else?" The waitress asked, looking at the 4 companions with a smile.

"Yes, could we get the special, and 4 milks?" Lucy asked.

"Yes Ma'am." The waitress smiled, scribbling the order down on her notepad. "Your meal will be out shortly." With that, the waitress bowed and left.

"Who said I wanted milk." Laxus scowled at Lucy.

"Milk is good for you." Lucy folded her arms.

"Water is better."

"Then go get some water." Lucy hissed.

Wendy laughed nervously at the two. This had to be the 7th argument today. Wendy did find it slightly entertaining though. At first the arguments just seemed pointless and rash, but after a while Wendy began to think of their small quarrels as their ways of flirting with each other. Though she knew if she ever said that out loud, the two would both probably deny it and Laxus would end up using his magic on her.

Lucy sat back with a sigh, deciding their fight was going nowhere. "It doesn't matter, when the waitress comes back I'll just ask her for some water."

"Milk is fine." Laxus shrugged.

"Then why did you make such a big deal about it?" Lucy questioned in a dark tone.

"You didn't ask me if I wanted milk, that's the problem." Laxus said back, his tone just as dark.

"You two are idiots." Charle said, folding her arms. Lucy and Laxus glared at the small cat.

"Wanna say that again, cat?" Laxus said slowly.

"I uh... This town seems peaceful, doesn't it?" Wendy chuckled, trying to change the subject. Lucy smiled and nodded.

"Yes, it does."

"Looks can be deceiving." Laxus folded his arms.

"Yeah your right, I mean take you for example. I thought you looked pretty strong at first, now I know that was my mistake." Lucy said with a snicker.

"Oh? You wanna take this out side, little apprentice?" Laxus growled.

"Bring it." Lucy chuckled evilly glaring at Laxus, who glared right back.

Wendy leaned back in fear. She had also noticed that the patience between these two had become thinner. As the days went, the two fought more and more, and not just verbal fighting. They had actually brought their magic into their fights as well.

"Here you go." The waitress suddenly appeared in front of the 4 companions, placing a large bowl filled with chips, fish, meat, and veggies in the middle of the table.

"I hope you enjoy the special." She smiled as she placed the milk on the table and left.

Wendy and Charle grabbed their cups of milk and instantly took large gulps.

As the 4 mages began to eat Lucy couldn't help but notice a few new figures enter the restaurant. All of them looked mean, with tattoos, piercings, and weird cloths. They had unfamiliar guild symbols on their bodies that seemed to silence the citizens as they passed.

Lucy glanced at Laxus who also seemed to be staring at the guild mages.

"Didn't think there was a guild in this town." Lucy muttered, taking a sip of her milk.

"They're a dark guild. Yamou, or something along those lines. They've been causing some trouble lately, but besides that, I haven't heard much about them." Laxus explained.

"3 beers, on the house." One laughed, slamming his sword on the counter, causing the bar tender to jump.

"R-Right." He stuttered, quickly grabbing three empty cubs and running to get them filled.

Lucy leaned against her right hand as she munched on a carrot, glaring at the 3 men. She hated people like that. People who used their powers to their advantage just because they were stronger.

"Lucy." Laxus said, causing the younger mage to look at him confused. "Don't get involved."

"Wha- what makes you think I was going to get involved?" Lucy demanded in a hushed voice.

"That "I'm going to be stupid and get involved" look it your eyes." Laxus deadpanned.

Lucy flinched and glared at the older mage. "Shut up." she muttered, looking towards Wendy and Charle to try and distract her self from what was going on behind her.

"Where's my drink old man!" one demanded, pulling out a knife. The old bar tender shivered in fear as he placed the drinks on the table.

"About time! I'm starving from that stupid mission." Another, one with a large brown beard, laughed.

"Yeah, that stupid Blue Pegasus guild. They should learn to mind their own business!"

Lucy looked up slightly. That was the guild Loki's old owner, Karen Lilica, had been apart of.

Lucy glanced at Laxus who was just staring at her, as if daring her to just TRY and say something. Lucy tapped her finger against the table in irritation.

Even if it was bad to get involved… she had morals that she was compelled to follow! These guys were jerks and needed to learn not to look down on others.

"Oy! How about you get us some more drinks?" one of the men cooed, grabbing the wrists of a near by waitress.

The waitress yelped in pain when the man suddenly stood up and pulled her into the air. "Huh?" he laughed, smiling wickedly.

Laxus, who had glanced at the three men when the waitress suddenly yelled in pain, looked back at Lucy. "Lucy don't-"

"She's gone." Charle deadpanned. Laxus flinched when in fact the young celestial mage had disappeared from her seat, leaving behind only her half eaten carrot. Laxus looked up to see Lucy marching towards the three men, pulling out her whip.

"O-OY!" Laxus yelled, getting up from his chair. "That idiot. What happened to not getting involved." He hissed in annoyance. It was too late though, Lucy had all ready reached the 3 men.

"Hey." She said, causing the men to look at her in surprise. "How about you just let the nice girl go." Lucy said, glaring at the men calmly.

"Oh?" the men smirked, letting the waitress go. The girl whimpered a bit before rushing away from the 4. "And what is a pretty little thing like you going to do about it?"

Lucy narrowed her eyes.

-2 minutes later-

"O-Ow." The three men, who were sprawled out amongst the broken table, groaned in pain.

"W-What the hell are you?" one stuttered.

"It's not nice to use the word hell around children." Lucy scolded, smashing her foot against the guy's chest, making him whimper in pain. "Now get out of here, and never come back." Lucy said, pointing over her shoulder at the door.

The three men didn't take long to act and quickly scrambled to their feet, sprinting for the door.

"W-We'll get you for this!" one yelled over his shoulder.

Lucy rolled her eyes. "That's what they all say."

"T-Thank you so much!" the bar tender said softly to Lucy, who smiled at him.

"No problem those guys- GACK!" Lucy whined in pain when something hard hit her on the head.

"No problem?" Laxus hissed, glaring at her. Lucy pouted at him.

"What?" she growled.

"I told you not to get involved!" Laxus snapped. Wendy and Charle quietly walked next to the enraged older mage.

"Since when were you the boss of me?" Lucy demanded. Laxus fell silent.

"Geez, you're like a 5 year old." Laxus muttered, folding his arms and looking away. Lucy growled at him but sighed. "Whatever, I'm leaving. Sorry for the trouble, thank you for the meal." Lucy placed some money on the bar before running out.

"Lucy, wait!" Wendy called, running after her with Charle close behind. Laxus glared at the door then back down at the table. "…Idiot…" he muttered. "You just left so I could clean this up for you." He growled in annoyance.

-Lucy-

"I hate him… I hate him!" Lucy mumbled angrily. "Why can't he understand? I can't just ignore something like that… Stupid Laxus."

"Lucy!"

Lucy paused to look over her shoulder at the younger 2 mages running after her. "Oh Charle, Wendy. Sorry I just ran off like that." Lucy chuckled nervously.

"Idiot blond." Charle folded her arms.

Lucy flinched and glared at her.

Wendy smiled softly at Lucy. "It's okay… I'm sure Laxus didn't mean anything that would hurt your feelings."

"Hurt my feelings? He didn't- I mean he just-" Lucy sighed. "I don't even know." Ever since she had met Laxus, things had just been getting so confusing. She didn't even know what was going on through her brain anymore.

Wendy took Lucy's hand, trying to comfort her. "It's okay."

Lucy smiled at her.

"Hey, I saw a store just down the street with really cute cloths, wanna go see it?" Wendy asked.

Lucy smiled. Wendy had always been so nice and encouraging to her. "Sure." She smiled.

"Lets go Charle!" Wendy smiled. Charle folded her arms with an "Hmph" but followed nonetheless.

-1 hour later-

"Those dolls were so cute!" Wendy smiled as they walked out of the store, two bags in their hands. Lucy nodded in agreement.

"They had great deals too. I was even able to get Laxus something." Lucy laughed.

"I doubt Laxus will want a rabbit key chain." Charle deadpanned.

"I didn't get him a bunny key chain!" Lucy argued. "I got him this." Lucy held up the small gift, which was a key chain, but it was just shaped like a lightning bolt.

"Lucy's that's really nice!" Wendy smiled as they 3 began to walk down the street. Lucy smiled.

Lucy chuckled as she placed the lightning bolt in her pocket. She did it again. Why was it no matter how mad she was at him, she always forgot about her anger only a few minutes later? Lucy held back a moan of frustration.

"There they are!"

Lucy looked over her shoulder in surprise, her eyes widening at the sight of 8 dark guild members, including the 3 from the restaurant before, running towards them.

"That's the girl!" one of them yelled.

The 8 guys stopped in front of them, one pausing when he saw Wendy.

"Hey look at that mark!" He gasped, pointing to Wendy's guild tattoo, showing she was from the Cait Shelter guild.

"Oh dear." Lucy muttered.

"She's the brat we were suppose to keep an eye out for!" One gasped.

"Well, this just made our job 10 times easier." One laughed menacingly as he pulled out a long dagger. Wendy gasped in fear, taking a shaky step back. Lucy glared at the men as she held a protective arm out in front of Wendy.

"Great." Charle glared at Lucy. "Look what you've gotten us into to!"

"Don't just blame this on me!" Lucy yelled.

"It's your fault!"

"It is not!" Lucy argued, grabbing Wendy's hand and scoping Charle up in her arms and running in the opposite direction.

"Why are you running away!" Charle demanded.

"Oh? First you get mad at me for fighting, now you're mad at me for not fighting? Make up your mind!" Lucy yelled down at the white cat as they ran down the streets.

As Lucy turned the corner, she gasped when a carriage suddenly stopped in front of her.

"What the-"

"GET IN!" Laxus snapped, appearing in the drivers seat.

"Laxus?" the girls gasped, staring at the older mage in shock.

"Laxus where did you-"

"Get a carriage!" Charle finished Wendy's sentence.

"It doesn't matter, just get in!" Laxus barked.

"What, why?" Lucy asked. Lucy soon got her answer when she looked pass the carriage, to where a large mob of mages was headed their way.

"WHAT DID YOU DO!" Lucy demanded as she pushed Wendy and Charle in the carriage.

"I'll explain later, just get in!" Without waiting for Lucy to close the door Laxus snapped at the reins, making the horses start of in a sprint.

"Laxus!" Lucy called through the window as the mob of mages chased them from behind. "What's going on!" Lucy looked through the small little hole, where a window use to be, to stare at Laxus's back.

"…."

"Laxus." Lucy said sternly, leaning her head towards his to try and see his face.

"Does this carriage belong to Yamou?" Wendy asked, staring at the dark guild symbol that was engraved into the back seat.

"You stole from their guild?" Lucy barked angrily. "What happened to, don't get involved!"

"I didn't just-" Laxus paused.

"Didn't just what, Laxus?" Lucy yelled.

Laxus muttered something, turning into another street. "Those guys came after me as well… so I paid their guild a little visit." Laxus didn't continue with his explanation.

"You paid them… a visit?" Wendy looked up at Laxus from her spot in the carriage.

"They also… were after Wendy so…" Laxus shrugged.

"Did you… ohmygod, you didn't!"

Laxus flinched. "I did."

"Laxus!" Lucy scolded! "You don't just go around destroying other peoples guilds!"

"It's not my fault! You're the one who started this!"

"Guys! We've got some company!" Wendy yelled, pointing out the window towards several other carriages that were following them.

That is how they ended up where they were now. Laxus firing his magic at the carriages, Lucy driving, while Wendy and Charle tried to not fall off.

Yes, just a normal day for them.

Lucy glanced over her shoulder when she heard a cry of pain from the carriages behind them. "Are they gone?" she asked.

"Yeah, that was the last one." Laxus called, climbing down to sit next to Lucy.

Lucy smiled. "That's good…." There was an awkward silence.

Lucy glanced over her shoulder through the small hole to see Charle and Wendy were collapsed on the seats, their eyes swirling from the constant turning and spinning.

Lucy sweat dropped. "Sorry Wendy, Charle."

"Stupid…. Blond…." Charle mumbled.

Lucy looked forward turning the reins a bit so the horses could dodge the tree coming up from ahead. She slowly glanced at Laxus who was staring ahead without a word.

"…. So…. At least we can travel a little faster." Lucy said slowly, staring down at the reins.

Laxus didn't answer. Lucy bit her bottom lip. Was he still mad? Sure they had fought no more than an hour ago, but…. Even so…. She had hoped he would have gotten over it, like she did.

They rode in silence for a while. Charle and Wendy must have passed out or something by now, since they were just as quiet.

"Listen Laxus I-"

"Don't say anything."

Lucy flinched at the harshness in Laxus's voice. That was that. He hated her now. Well… he probably hated or at least disliked her before anyway though. She was always causing him trouble. Lucy wanted to scream out in frustration and angst, but kept it inside.

Lucy's eyes widened when a small word escaped from Laxus's mouth. The sound barley coming past his lips. "Sorry."

Did she just… hear him correctly?

"W-What did you just say?" she asked, glancing at him.

"Sorry." Laxus repeated, looking away, hiding his face from Lucy's eyes. Lucy stared at Laxus in shock.

"Laxus." She said softly. "I… I mean, why are you…. I think I should be the one apologizing here, not you. It's my fault were in this mess. Though we did get a free carriage out of it." Lucy shrugged.

"You were right before. I shouldn't have told you what to do. You can make your own decisions." Laxus's tone was soft, almost a whisper.

Lucy could feel her face heat up. "N-No it's okay, really. I mean, I should have handled the situation better. I should have understood your feelings better as well. I mean, you probably didn't like the idea of having to find us after I ran off.' Lucy mumbled.

"I never said that." Laxus said back.

Lucy fell silent. Her heartbeat was racing. Why though? Maybe it was the softness in Laxus's tone, Lucy wasn't completely sure.

"…Thanks." Lucy smiled, taking both of the reins in one hand and reaching her other hand into her pocket to pull out the lightning bolt key chain. "Here."

Laxus turned towards Lucy to stare at the key chain confused. "What is that?" he questioned.

"A gift." Lucy answered with a smile.

Laxus stared at the key chain with a frown, but slowly took it from Lucy's hand so she could hold both of the reins.

"…Uh, thanks." He muttered, staring at the key chain, as if trying to figure out what he could possible use it for.

Lucy shrugged. It probably wasn't the best present to give him, but it was a start.

"So… exactly where are we going?" Laxus asked, glancing at the younger mage.

Lucy blinked, realizing they were just running aimlessly through the woods.

"Uh…" she looked around, trying to figure out where they were. "The… mountains." She said slowly, pulling the reins a bit for the horses to turn.

"You just turned towards the mountains though. Where were we going before?" Laxus had a small smirk on his face.

"W-We were- uh- SHUT UP!" Lucy snapped, smushing her bag into Laxus's face.

"Hmph! Why you- keep an eye on the road! We don't want to get lost." Laxus pushed Lucy's bag away.

"You have no room to talk! Mr. No direction sense!"

"Again with that? What sort of insult is that?" Laxus demanded.

"It's not a insult, it's a nickname!" Lucy yelled, glaring a head, trying to push Laxus away with her feet.

"A nickname!' Laxus growled. "That makes it worst!" Laxus grabbed Lucy's feet, trying to grab the reins from her.

"Does not, shut up!" Lucy barked, trying to drive and keep the reins away from Laxus at the same time. "Let go Idiot, or else we will crash!"

"Then just give me the reins!"

"Never!"

In the back of the carriage, two young mages chuckled to each other, glad that their older companions had finally forgiven each other and were back to normal.

**There we go! I'll probably have 2 or 3 more chapters before the whole Oracion Seis battle stuff. My fingers were really cold when I wrote this chapter. The heater in my house broke, and it was COOOOOLLLLDDD! I hope the numbness of my fingers convince you to write me a review! Good day to you all!**


	14. Laxus' side of the story

**Okay guys, I've noticed lately that a lot of people send me questions in their reviews, and sometimes-just comments that I really want to comment back on. SO! At the end of each new chapter, if you reviewed the chapter before, I will write a response to your review at the end of the chapter. I hope this encourages you to write more reviews (wink wink, nudge nudge)**

"Laxus, for the last time. You can't get past the mountains if you take the clearing Route. You have to take Pikes path, like it says on the map!" Lucy growled angrily, waving the small piece of paper around in her hand.

"That will take an extra 2 days if we take Pikes path." Laxus argued. "The clearing Route is faster because it cuts straight through."

"Oh? Do you really expect me to take directions from you, Mr. No Direction Sense." Lucy placed her hands on her hips.

"Uh… guys…" Wendy said softly, standing off to the side from the bickering blonds.

"Just leave them. There's no point anyway." Charle said, folding her arms.

"I guess, but even so…" Wendy said softly, hoping the two would come to some sort of agreement.

"Clearing Route!"

"Pikes path!"

Charle sighed in annoyance at the two. "How about we just take the Mountain Path. Not many go on it, and it's faster then the Mountain Route and Pikes path." Charle announced.

Laxus and Lucy paused, slowly turning their heads towards the small white cat, who was glaring at them.

"….Uh… I mean to say…" Lucy and Laxus said slowly.

Laxus folded his arms, turning away. "…Sure whatever." He agreed.

"R-Right." Lucy laughed nervously.

Wendy smiled brightly at Charle, who just smirked.

"To the Mountain Path then." Lucy cheered.

"Right Ms. Narrator." Laxus chuckled.

"Wha- what does that mean!" Lucy demanded.

"Oh nothing really. I mean, I just find it a little odd how you always have to yell out where we're headed. Like "We're going to the store." Or "We're heading off!" It's like your narrating to some sort of audience in the sky." Laxus smirked, causing Lucy to blush with embarrassment.

"I do not!" she sputtered.

"You do too." Charle deadpanned, causing Lucy to flinch.

"…." Lucy folded her arms, turning her head away from her companions to walk towards the Mountain Path. "At least I actually know how to get out of here. If it were up to Laxus, we would probably be lost for 10 years before we even got close to the next town."

Laxus flinched. "Are you picking a fight again." He hissed.

"Any time anywhere." Lucy smirked

"You know, if someone where to come in right at the sentence, they may question your relationship." Charle said blankly, flying above the two blonds.

Lucy and Laxus froze, their eyes growing wide. The two whirled their heads to stare at each other, and then back at the flying cat.

"CHARLE!" They screamed. Lucy cheeks were as red as roses while Laxus's showed a small tint of pink.

Wendy covered her mouth in shock, just realizing what Charle had implied by that comment. "C-Charle, don't be so mean to them." Wendy gasped.

As Charle flew ahead of the 3 mages below, you could hear her let out an amused chuckle.

"That's a creepy chuckle Charle!" Lucy yelled, running after the small cat in anger. "Come here Charle! I know what I want for dinner tonight. A nice hot batch of cat stew!"

"Lucy you mustn't!" Wendy gasped in hopes of saving her beloved exceed.

Laxus slowly followed after the 3 girls. Annoyance, confusion, and something else swam around in his eyes. His eyes slowly landed on the younger celestial mage.

"…" Laxus's jaw clenched as he quickly looked away. "Stupid cat!" he suddenly roared in anger, chasing after the white exceed as well.

"Laxus, not you too!" Wendy gasped as he went storming passed her.

Charle looked over her shoulder, and annoyed, yet deeply amused, look crossed her face.

"Charle!" Wendy cried, "Watch out!"

Charle's eyes widened in shock when Laxus suddenly dropped to one knee in front of Lucy, bring his hands together and holding them out. Lucy ran forward, lifting up her foot to place it on top of Laxus's hands. Lucy jumped up, will at the same time, Laxus lifted the girl up using the strength from his hands.

"Charle!" Lucy yelled as she flew into the sky, tackling the exceed in mid-air.

"S-Stupid blond!" Charle gasped as they fell towards the ground, scratching at each other.

When the two hit the ground with a large "Thump", the eldest of the group, who tackled both of them into the grounds, causing numerous screams, soon joined them.

Wendy paused in front of the three, trying to catch her breath.

"Why you!" Laxus yelled as Charle bit his hand.

"Ha take that Laxu- OW!" Lucy yelped when Laxus slapped her across the head. "JERK!" she screeched, pulling him into a headlock.

Wendy sweat dropped. "I don't think I'll be able to stop them." She said softly.

She sighed, patiently waiting for the pathetic battle to end.

-Later that day-

Wendy stared at the darkening flames, sighing. Laxus currently had his right hand bandaged, due to Charle's sharp teeth and claws, and several cuts and bruises due to Lucy. Lucy had a large bump on her head from Laxus constantly hitting her, and a bite mark on her right leg from Charle.

Charle on the other hand seem unscathed, except for her small dress being wrinkled.

"We're almost out of fire wood." Wendy said slowly, hoping to start some conversation between the group.

"I'll go get some." Lucy said, rising to her feet.

"Don't get lost." Laxus said as she left.

"You have no room to talk." Lucy said over her shoulder before she disappeared into the surrounding forest.

The group had been lucky enough to find a small open space where they were able to set up camp.

When Lucy had gone, Wendy glanced at Laxus, who was staring at the fire in deep though.

Charle seemed to notice Laxus's look and glanced at Wendy.

"Hey Laxus, are you all right?" Wendy asked softly.

"Hmm?" Laxus looked up at Wendy, who was staring at him with concern in her eyes. "Oh, yeah I'm fine." Laxus said slowly. "I was just thinking."

"About what?" Wendy asked, hoping she wasn't prying too much.

Laxus glanced at the young dragon slayer and sighed. "I'm not sure myself." He said honestly. "I guess I'm just thinking back to the day I found Lucy."

Wendy blinked. "They day you found her?" Charle questioned.

Laxus nodded, glaring at the fire intently. There was a long pause after that. As if Laxus was still trying to decide if he should tell Wendy what exactly happened that night he found Lucy on that train. Laxus sighed, finally giving in, and telling Wendy the long story.

"Lucy and me came from the same guild." Laxus announced.

"A guild? Which one?" Wendy smiled.

Laxus paused. "Well um… actually, neither of us are apart of that guild anymore. We both got kicked out."

Charle folded her arms, glaring at Laxus. "Kicked out?" she said coldly. "For what?"

Laxus scowled at her. "Is that really any of your concern? Be grateful I'm even telling you this much of the story." Laxus hissed.

"S-Sorry Laxus. Charle, please." Wendy begged her friend softly. Charle glanced at Wendy, her eyes softening. "Okay Wendy." She nodded.

Wendy smiled at Laxus, motioning him to continue.

Laxus leaned against the tree behind him, rubbing his chin. "I'll be honest, I regret what I did, I do." Laxus looked down at the ground, his eyes saddening. "If I hadn't been kicked out of the guild though, I never would have found Lucy though."

"What do you mean?" Wendy asked, still slightly hoping he would tell her what guild they were from.

"It had been 6 months since I had left my guild. I was just going to another town, Oshibana. When I got on the train though, I found her, dying."

Wendy and Charle's eyes widened.

"From what I can figure out, before Lucy had been kicked out of the guild, they had beaten her, tried to kill her even. I'm sure you've noticed the scars and old wounds by now."

Wendy nodded slowly, finally understanding how all those scars on Lucy's body had gotten there. Charle fell silent, staring at the ground.

"When I found her, I recognized her almost instantly…. Mainly because of past events…" Laxus muttered the last part.

"What sort of past events?" Charle asked quickly, hearing Laxus's low mutter.

Laxus flinched. "I uh… almost killed Lucy when I was still in my guild… it's sort of hard to forget someone who almost died by your hands." Laxus shrugged. Wendy and Charle stared at Laxus in shock.

"Anyway, once the train stopped, I brought her to a hospital. I honesty thought she had been attacked, but after she woke up, I realized she had been kicked out of the guild just like me."

"For what?" Charle and Wendy asked together. Laxus shrugged.

"She never told me. I heard her talking to her celestial spirits though, before we left Oshibana. She doesn't seem to know the reason either."

"What? How could she not know the reason?" Charle questioned, looking at Laxus with disbelief.

"I don't know the details." Laxus hissed at the white exceed. "When ever I even mention the subject she tenses up and tries to avoided anything related to it entirely. So I don't ask her."

Wendy stared at the ground, sadness filling her eyes. "Lucy." She whispered softly. By the way Lucy acted, Wendy had no idea she had suffered so much pain.

"Though, I can't blame you for not believing me. I don't really want to believe this whole thing myself." Laxus's voice grew soft, almost, compassionate. "To kick someone out if one thing, but to beat them while you're doing, it's un-forgivable. Just… When I see Lucy, I can't believe that she would do something so bad that she would get kicked out, or anger our guild enough to try and kill her." Laxus growled, glaring at the fire once more.

Honestly, Laxus had become furious with Fairy Tail. What Laxus had done was bad, yes that was true, and he regretted it. He had taken his grandfathers, and the rest of Fairy Tail's words to heart. Nakama were family and allies, it didn't matter if they were weaker than you physically. No one was truly weak. Everyone had their own power that made them special inside, at least that is what is grandfather had said to him when he was young.

So then why, why was it that 6 months after he had left, with those words in mind, did all of this happen? Lucy was Fairy Tail's Nakama right?

No one had tried to kill him when he had left Fairy Tail. Sure that pink haired dragon slayer, Natsu, had caused a lot of damage, but that was all to stop him from taking over the guild.

What they had done to her was far worst then what he had tried, and he had all ready seen signs of the repercussions.

Even the simple word of Fairy Tail sent Lucy into a mental panic. She would suddenly become pale, and stop thinking.

That wasn't the worst of it though. Laxus had often heard Lucy screaming during the night, waking up seconds later, whispering how sorry she was. She would then cry her self to sleep once again.

Or when she would freeze up in the middle of battle. Laxus had saved her several times from that happening already.

Her mental breakdowns were at their max though when she saw someone who looked like one of the guild members. Laxus had all ready seen what is what like when that happened. (Halloween chapter)

"What was your guilds name?"

Laxus looked up at Charle snapping out of his thoughts. "Huh?"

"What was your guilds name?" Charle repeated. Wendy stared at Laxus, wishing to know the answer as well.

Laxus's eyes narrowed, his tone becoming dark.

"Fairy Tail."

**And we end here! SO now, as promised, time for my replies to the reviews of chapter 13!**

**Sin of the Fallen** : Oh you lucky dog you! Florida is probably so warm right now! Though whenever I go there, my hair gets really frizzy, and it's hard to handle.

**MintLeadfeon** : My heater is finally fixed, though it's still pretty cold here. I'm glad you liked the chapter.

**SierraPaige** Hey look, I did up-date hahah! ^_^

**Bunannza** Of course! Laxus is like the prince (ish) character in this story. Though I'm pretty sure at some point in this I'm going to make him be the one who needs saving, hehehe (evil chuckle)

**MitsuiKoi** : It will definitely be a dramatic chapter when the time comes when Lucy finds her old team. What a day that will be indeed!

**kirana46** : Interesting is my middle name… well, not exactly, it's actually Katherine, but that's not the point!

**Footster26** : I know! I always find it so cute when Lucy and Laxus argue!

**ShinningStellar** : I actual had a whole list of nicknames Lucy was going to give Laxus, and I ended up going with that one, because I really feel like it fits ^_^

**KanameAkira**: Thanks for the review! Hope you like the new chapter!

**evonne heatfillia** : Update complete! Hope you enjoy!

**Lady Nosila**: Why thank you! Makes me happy to hear people like my work, hehe ^_^

**Chrys Stone** : (Lucy: What the heck are they doing here! HAAAA LAXUS HIDE ME!) Or something along those line -_-

**Hachibukai** Whichever is fine, huh? Hehehe

**Amy Cahill09** : Thanks! Hope you enjoy!

**Emil C** : Oh hey, that does make sense. "Dog lovers' love! Ha! Love it. Glad you like the chapter!

**RebeccaKeeperofSecrets** : Hehe, glad you like it. I believe I get a lot of my ideas from my sister, and sometimes my best friend and her boy friend. Cause see, my best friend and her Boy friend are always fighting, and they sort of remind me of Lucy and Laxus, so most of the fighting that happen in this story, is actually somewhat based off of them. 0.0

**Kamikorosu**: I do always enjoy when people bicker ^_^

**Shanisarous Rex** : That one of my biggest worried actually. That I wont get their personalities and stuff correct, and end up messing up the story. Thanks for the review!

**Riliya** Thank you!

**Randomlyrite** : Hehe, love the little face. :3


	15. The past, and heartfelt goodnight

**IMPORTANT: MUST READ!**

**Okay everyone, I need your help. I can't tell you why I need you to do this, but I hope you will help me out anyway, because it will make sense in a couple chapters. When you all review, I was wondering if in your reviews, you could give me good Guild names. The names could be anything! Like, the Rock Guild, or Light guild, or some weird guild name. I just need a name within the next few chapters. I'm begging for your help!**

**Anyway, please enjoy the new chapter**

"Fairy… Tail?" Wendy whispered softly, her eyes growing wide. Charle let out a small gasp, turning to look at Wendy.

Laxus blinked, staring at the two confused. "What?"

"You use… to be a Fairy Tail mage?" Wendy asked softly.

"Yeah." Laxus nodded, leaning against the log behind him. Laxus's eyes widened when Wendy suddenly became very pale. "H-Hey, you all right?" Laxus asked quickly.

Wendy shook her head, muttering a "Y-Yeah… I'm fine."

"Wendy." Charle whispered softly. Laxus stared at the two younger girls… well… younger girl and cat, for a long time.

"Does Fairy Tail mean anything to you?" he asked.

Wendy flinched. "Well… not in… particular." She shrugged, staring at her feet.

Laxus raised his left eyebrow, folding his arms over his chest as he stared at Wendy. "Right." He said slowly

"I brought fire wood!" Lucy grinned, stumbling passed the carriage Laxus had got (stole) and into the camp, her arms filled with different sizes of sticks and logs.

"Yeah we see that, Ms. Narrator." Laxus smirked. "Gack!" Laxus growled as Lucy dumped the large pile of wood on top of his head. "Why you-" he hissed, pushing the pile off of himself.

Lucy snickered, sitting down in front of the fire. "I took a look around the area while I was gone. If I'm correct, we should be able to get you to your meeting point by the afternoon tomorrow." Lucy smiled at Wendy who slowly nodded.

"Oh… thanks." Wendy smiled. Charle sat in silence, staring intently at the flames from the fire.

Lucy blinked at the awkward atmosphere. Did she miss something?

"I'm going to bed." Laxus announced, lying on his side, his back to the girls.

Lucy pouted at him. "Don't you want to look at the stars?" she asked.

"The stars are the same every night. There's nothing new." Laxus mumbled.

Lucy let out a dramatic gasp. "Not true! The stars change every night!"

Laxus turned over to his over side to give Lucy a "What are you talking about, you idiot?' stare.

"It's a matter of perspective." Lucy continued. "See, take that star for instance." Lucy pointed up ward at a small star that shinned dimly in the night sky. On it's own it shines, but since there are many stars around it that shine brighter, it doesn't seem very important. If you combine it with other stars around it though, to make one large picture, it becomes something beautiful."

Wendy stared up at the sky in wonder, slowly beginning to understand what Lucy was saying.

"That still doesn't explain how you think the stars change every night." Laxus and Charle scowled in unison, pausing to stare at each other.

"Simple. Take those 8 stars, when you tilt you head like this…" Lucy tilted her head to the side, as did everyone else. "It looks like a bunny."

"It does!" Wendy smiled. Laxus blinked, nodding a bit.

"If you look at only 6 of those 8 stars though, and just look straight up, it looks like a clover."

Wendy smiled.

"I… guess it does." Charle shrugged.

"That makes no sense. How do you get a bunny, and then end up with a clover when you only take away a few stars? Besides, it doesn't even look like a clover.' Laxus announced.

"It so does look like a clover, so stop questioning the universe!" Lucy ordered. "Ha, right." Laxus scoffed, turning on his side again.

Lucy rolled her eyes at the older blond. "You're just a kill joy." Lucy stated, rising to her feet. "Come on Wendy, I bet we'll see the stars better if we move away from the fire." Lucy smiled, holding her hand out the girl.

"Do you want her to get a cold!" Charle demanded.

"Oh come on Charle, we'll come back to the fire in a couple minutes." Lucy begged. "She can wear my jacket if she gets cold."

"And if you get cold?" Laxus chuckled from his spot.

"Then I'll wear your jacket." Lucy hissed, snatching the large fuzzy jacket off the log Laxus had placed it on.

A growl escaped Laxus's throat but he made no move to stop Lucy.

"All right, lets go!" Lucy cheered, taking Wendy's hand and dragging the girl towards the hill not to far away.

"Wait for me!" Charle demanded, flying after the two.

When the girls had left, Laxus slowly opened one of his eyes to stare after them. He shook his head at the three before looking up at the star covered sky above. "…Huh… I guess it does look like a clover." He mumbled before closing his eyes to drift off into sleep.

-Lucy and the others-

"Ah Ha! I knew it would look nice over here!" Lucy smiled, lying back on the hill to stare up at the sky. Wendy and Charle slowly joined her, staring up at the sky in wonder.

"Hey… Lucy…" Wendy said slowly.

"Hmm?"

Wendy fell silent, as if re-thinking her question. "What will…. Laxus and you do once you've dropped me off at the meeting point." Wendy suddenly felt like a small child, being dropped of by her parents as she said that sentence.

Lucy blinked, rubbing her chin. "Well… We were headed towards Heaven's Groove before we met you, so we'll probably start heading that way again." Lucy smiled.

"Heaven's Groove?" Charle and Wendy asked, tilting their heads.

Lucy nodded, twirling a piece of her hair between her fingers.

"Yeah. It was just a small dream I had as a kid." Lucy chuckled. "My mom… uh… she died when I was little. So I was living alone with my dad. My dad was always busy though so I often spent my time alone. When I was living with him though, I heard this from some of the maids that worked for my dad-"

"Maids?" Charle questioned, folding her arms.

"Oh yeah… My dad uh… was a little rich. Okay, a lot rich." Lucy shrugged. "Fancy cloths and jewels though aren't really my style, so I left." Lucy said quickly.

Wendy nodded, understanding.

"Anyway though, I heard the maids talking about this large festival that's held at Heaven's Groove every year. It's supposed to be a festival celebrating your family and friends you've come to know. It sounds fun, so I've wanted to go ever since I was small." Lucy smiled, leaning back on her hands.

Wendy smiled. "Oh I've heard of that, it sounds like fun." Wendy smiled.

"Yeah? Well once you're done with your mission, how about you meet Laxus and me there in a couple months?" Lucy smiled.

"R…Really?" Wendy smiled. "You mean you wouldn't mind if I met up with you there?" Wendy grinned.

"Not at all! Charle can come too. We're all friends after all." Lucy tilted her head, smiling brightly at her younger friends.

Wendy and Charle's eyes widened in surprise. "…Friends…." A small smile spread across Wendy's lips. Charle folded her arms, a small blush covered her cheeks. "I-Idiot blonde.' She muttered.

Lucy chuckled at the two. "Well… we should probably head back." Lucy nodded.

"Oh wait Lucy… there's uh… something else I want to talk with you about!" Wendy said quickly.

"Oh? What is it?" Lucy asked, tilting her head.

"Well… I'm sorry no, it's nothing." Wendy said looking away.

Lucy tilted her head, staring at the younger mage, confused. "Wendy it's okay, you can ask me anything."

Wendy slowly looked back at the older blonde, hesitant. "Why did you…." Wendy paused, not wanting to sound to forward or demanding. "Leave your guild?"

Wendy flinched, preparing to be yelled at, or for the older mage to be at the brink of tears, like she had been last time she had asked this question.

Lucy did neither of these things though. She simply stared at Wendy, her expression un-readable.

"That's a… odd question." Lucy mumbled, sitting back down besides Wendy and Charle. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to!" Wendy said quickly.

"...It's okay. I think it will be best if I do. Besides, I think I can trust you enough to tell you… right?" Lucy asked.

"O-Of course!" Wendy nodded.

Lucy smiled weakly, glancing at Charle who stared silently. After a short pause, Lucy looked up towards the sky. "My guilds name was Fairy Tail. I really, really, loved that guild. It was always so fun and energetic. Everyone was family in that guild." Lucy slowly took off her gloves and placed them at her side. "We all supported each other and had so much fun together. I was on a team in that guild too. It was called Team Natsu, mainly because the first member and leader of that team was a boy named Natsu." Lucy paused to stare at he pink Fairy Tail mark, which had still never been removed. Wendy saw the mark and stared at it intently. "Natsu Dragneel was his name. He was dragon slayer, like you." Lucy chuckled dryly.

Wendy quickly looked up at the sky.

"I… I know him." Wendy nodded, causing Lucy to look at her. "Well, I don't actually know him. I've heard of him though." Wendy said quickly.

Lucy looked at Wendy, seeing that pained look in her eyes. "What is it?" she asked.

"I-It's just…. The main reason I accepted this mission… w-was to… to meet…" Wendy rubbed at her eyes, trying to stop her tears.

"To meet Natsu?" Lucy questioned, her tone soft.

Wendy flinched, nodding. "Yes."

Lucy stared at Wendy for a long time, her expression unreadable. "It is because he's a dragon slayer as well?" Lucy turned back up at the sky, her eyes wide with realization. If Wendy had gone on this mission to meet Natsu... that means Fairy Tail was apart of this alliance. Which meant… Lucy shook her head. It didn't matter. She promised to get Wendy there, and dang it, she was going to keep her promise, no matter what was waiting for her there. "It's okay Wendy. I understand. I would probably do the same thing as you." Lucy smiled.

Wendy looked up at Lucy, tears threatening to fall. "L-Lucy." She whispered, smiling at he older blonde.

Lucy nodded, continuing her story. "Natsu was actually the one who brought me to Fairy Tail. Natsu was always so rash though, and even dragged me into an S class mission that he wasn't suppose to take. Our guild master got worried at that time and sent Gray Fullbuster an ice mage, and Erza Scarlet who uses Requip magic."

"Eh! Titania and Gray?" Wendy and Charle gasped.

"Uh… Yeah." Lucy nodded, forgetting just how popular and well known Erza and Gray were. "We were Fairy Tails strongest team, at least that is what Natsu said." Lucy chuckled. "I was the weakest though. I always had to be protected by everyone, and wasn't much when it came to fighting." Lucy looked down sadly.

Wendy stared at Lucy in shock. Lucy didn't seem like a weak person, not at all. The way she said that though… made Wendy think of herself.

"I want to believe that's changed though since I met Laxus. I feel stronger now, and I can even put u p a decent fight against that stupid jerk!" Lucy laughed evilly, pumping her fist in the air.

Wendy and Charle sweat dropped, sighing at the older blonde, who was currently yelling out insults to the sky.

Wendy and Charle jumped in surprise when Lucy's suddenly slouched forward, a sad smile crossing her face. "I don't really know why I got kicked out though."

Wendy leaned towards Lucy, her eyes growing wide.

"How can you not know?" Charle said, folding her arms.

"Heh." Lucy chuckled dryly. "I guess you're right about that. Sadly though, it's true. I don't know why I got kicked out. Maybe because I was weak and was just a burden to everyone. All I remember though is that I left on a mission, to pay my rent, and when I came back…" Lucy fell silent, memories filling her mind. She gritted her teeth, he hands rolling into fists, holding tightly onto the grass below.

Wendy saw Lucy's struggle with the words and placed her hand on the older mages shoulder. "I uh… When I came back, everyone had changed. They… They…" Lucy slowly looked down at the scars that covered her legs and arms, slightly happy that they could not see the large scar that covered the left side of her torso from Erza's sword.

"They… beat you?" Wendy asked in horror, her voice low.

Lucy slowly nodded, using her left hand to whip away a tear that had trickled down her cheek. Charle even looked horrified from the sudden news.

"Lucy I… I'm so sorry." Wendy sobbed softly, slightly regretting asking Lucy about such a painful memory.

"No, you don't have to apologize Wendy, you did nothing wrong. You just wished to know, and I understand that. It's actually nice to get this off my chest after keeping it bottled up for so long." Lucy smiled weakly at the younger girls. Wendy sniffed as tears streamed down her face. "Oh come now Wendy, you don't have to cry for me." Lucy said softly, cupping Wendy's face with her hands to whip away the tears. Charle held Wendy's hand, trying to have eye contact with the older blonde mage.

After a while, the tears had stopped and the three girls had began to look at the stars again.

Wendy looked towards the older mage, who was staring up at the sky with a content smile on her face. "Lucy." She said softly

"Yes Wendy?"

"Thank you for saving me… and taking me this far."

Lucy turned her heads towards the young dragon slayer, smiling. "That's what friends are for, right?"

Wendy nodded, smiling. Charle folded her arms looking away from the 2 girls, hiding a small smile.

"It's really odd though." Lucy mumbled, looking back at the sky.

"What?" Wendy asked.

"Even though… being kicked out of Fairy Tail caused me a lot of pain and I still have nightmares of that day… I'm still…" Lucy paused. "Grateful that it happened."

Wendy's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

"If that hadn't of happened… I wouldn't be traveling to Heaven's Groove right now with Laxus, and I may never have met you and Charle." Lucy smiled.

That was something Lucy was truly grateful for. She had met new friends, and was still walking forward, becoming stronger each day. There was something though…. That Lucy found odd about this whole thing.

Lucy had seen what Fairy Tail was capable of, and knew how they lived to become stronger with the support of all those around them.

That's why secretly Lucy wished this was all some big misunderstanding. That Fairy Tail hadn't really meant to kick her out that day. Though she knew it was a long shot, she was still hoping it was true. That they were out there right now, looking for her.

"Well, we better get to bed. You've got a big day ahead of you." Lucy smiled, jumping to her feet, and holding her hand out to Wendy. Wendy took Lucy's hand with a small smile, rising to her feet.

Charle flew besides the two girls, a small smile on her face.

"Think Laxus is asleep yet?" Lucy asked as they approached the camp.

"Maybe." Wendy shrugged, becoming silent as they approached the older blonde, who sleeping silently across from the fire.

Lucy smiled as she stared at Laxus's sleeping face. He looked so much younger and… at peace, when he was asleep.

Lucy blinked when she noticed Laxus shiver a bit, and realized he must be cold. Lucy quickly took of Laxus's large jacket, that she had been wearing this whole time, and placed it over the young adult. Kneeling next to Laxus, she pulled the top of the jacket up a bit so it would cover Laxus's shoulder. "Good night Laxus." Lucy whispered softly, brushing some of the older blondes bangs out of his face.

"Good night Lucy." Wendy whispered from her spot as Charle and her snuggled up against a log, closing their eyes.

"Good night Wendy, Charle." Lucy whispered back. Lucy added a couple more pieces of wood to the fire, glancing at her companions as she settled down for the night.

"Good night… Fairy Tail." Lucy mumbled as she stared up at the sky, her eyes slowly closing.

-Fairy Tail-

Master Makarov lifted his head up in shock, whirling around towards Fairy Tail's entrance.

"Is something wrong Master?" Mirajane asked when she saw her Master's sudden reaction.

Makarov fell silent, staring at the door for a long time. "…No… Everything is fine Mirajane. I just thought I… heard something." Makarov said, turning towards the young mage with a smile.

"Oh? What did you hear Master?" Erza asked, joining in on the conversation.

Master Makarov glanced back at the door, as if in a daze. A small, yet confused smile spread across his lips. "I thought I heard… some one say good night." Makarov announced softly.

Erza and Mira looked at each other, then back at their master confused.

"No one has left yet though." Erza said slowly.

The master let out a chuckle. "Must be my old age getting the best of me!" He laughed, rubbing the back of his head. Erza and Mira blinked, then joined along in laughing with their Master.

**Well, here we are. The end of the chapter! I hope you all enjoyed it! Now for my reviews!**

**MintLeafon**: I am also glad my heater is fixed. I can finally type without having to pause every couple seconds to warm my fingers up. Glad you enjoyed chapter 13. It will be very dramatic when Wendy sees Fairy Tail. Especially now that Wendy knows Lucy's

Side of the story 0.0

**ShinningStellar**: I do love a good cliffhanger. Thanks for the review! I'm still figuring out how I'm going to have Fairy Tail tell Lucy what really happened. Hopefully I figure it out soon ^_^

**Hachibukai**: May your itching end at this moment, for I have up-dated! Hahah! Hehe, thanks for the review ^_^

**Footster26**: It is going to be epic when Wendy sees Natsu and the others. Not to mention Charle. You thought she was mean to Happy at first during the actual manga/anime series, oh wait till you see her now!

**moonshine86**; Hey thanks! It always makes me happy to hear people enjoy my writing. I hope you will continue to read and review my story ^_^ I actually really love the way Lucy and Laxus treat each other. They always annoy each other so much, but yet they both care so much about each other. I just love it!

**Shanisarous Rex**: Ah geez, you're just trying to butter me up, aren't ya! Thanks a bunch. I hope you continue to read this story ^_^ I've really enjoyed writing it.

**evonne heartfillia**; I up-dated! Mwahahah! ^_^ P.S. I really like your name. Evonne, that just sounds so cool ^_^

**OhtaSuzuke**: Don't worry faithful viewer. The Oracion Seis mission starts in the next chapter! Thanks for the review ^_^

**Sin of the Fallen**: ^_^ my hair is also naturally curly. Just a bit of rain and POOF, instant curls. -_-

**Lady Nosila**: Thank you! I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well ^_^

**kirana46**: I have officially up-dated. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. ^_^

**ReaderAlleluia** Awe geez, all you guys are making me blush with your nice reviews. Thanks for all the support.

**Emil C**; Tada! Seems Lucy took your advice and opened up. (Hehe) I am in fact a GraLu fan as well and will take your idea under consideration. MERRY CHRISTMAS to you too. ^_^

**Chrys Stone**: Hehe, thanks for the review. Glad you liked the chapter.

**Bunannza**: I have to say this now. Your Fan Fiction name is so cool! At first I thought it was banana, but then I looked more closely, and figured out it was like Banana, but cooler! I hope you enjoyed this new chapter ^_^

**SakuraTreeLover**: Thanks for the review. I too think Laxus and Lucy are so cute together ^_^

**Amy Cahill09**: Cliffhanger yes! Hahah, glad you loved the new chapter. Hope you enjoyed this chapter just as much ^_^

**SierraPaige**: Wendy and Charle are going to be VERY mad at FT. Plus, I don't think it will ruin too much if I answer your question. Yes, Lucy and Laxus will have a little fighting in the Oracion Seis battle.

**Princess Happy**: Thanks for the review! I up-dated as fast as my typing/brain power aloud me too!

**MitsuiKoi**: Who knows the answer to any of your questions… oh wait.. I do. -_- But I wont answer any of them… at this moment. Maybe later I will, hehe ^_^

**AATWED**: Thanks for the review! I'm so happy you like this story! I tried my best at it!

**CarolinSama**: Hating chapter 3 is understandable honestly. I was crying the whole time I was typing it! Don't worry though, this story will get happier as the story goes along ^_^


	16. Oracion seis begins!

**Sorry for the long wait everyone. My computer broke down, then I had to wait weeks to get a new one. Then after I got a new one, I had to wait a few more for the right software and for it to download everything. It was just a long, painful process. But here is the new chapter, I hope you all enjoy!**

Lucy rolled over to her side, her eyes subconsciously opening. Lucy groaned in protest, quickly closing her eyes to fall back into her mini hibernation. Sadly, Lucy was unable to do so. Once she woke up, it was hard for her to fall back asleep.

Lucy sighed, sitting up to stare at her surroundings. The stars had just begun to fade, indicating that it was almost sun rise. Lucy stumbled to her feet, making sure not to step on Laxus, who was still asleep, as she passed him.

Lucy tip-toed over to the two horses that pulled the carriage. They were both laying on the ground, but instantly looked up at her when she approached. Lucy grabbed a pouch that was sitting on the drivers seat of the carriage and approached the horses with a smile.

"Apple?" she asked, pulling out two large red apples. The horses quickly got to their feet, sniffing at Lucy's hand as she held out the apples.

Lucy chuckled a bit as the horses took the apples from her hands using their mouths, and quickly devoured them. Lucy petted the two horses, smiling.

"Got a long day ahead of us…." Lucy mumbled to them.

"Can't sleep?"

Lucy jumped in surprise, whirling around to see Laxus, who was staring at her blankly with his arms folded a crossed his chest.

"Oh…. Yeah." she nodded, relaxing a bit. "You too?"

Laxus nodded, his attention turning towards the rising sun. "Today's the meeting day."

Lucy looked at Laxus, realizing he must have been talking about Wendy's meeting point for her mission. "Yeah." she nodded.

"Are you really going to go through with this?"

Lucy turned towards Laxus, confused by his question. "Why wouldn't I?" she asked slowly. His facial expression was guarded, and his eyes were cold, revealing little emotion of how he truly felt.

"Fairy Tail is apart of the Alliance, you know." he announced, leaning against the carriage.

Lucy mentally flinched. "I know." she mumbled softly, lightly kicking the dirt ground.

Laxus raised one of his eyebrows at her and asked, "You're not bothered by it?"

Lucy rubbed the back of her neck, her anxiety growing. "I wouldn't... say that. It's more like I'm willing to take Wendy as far as I have to, but also... avoid Fairy Tail as much as I can." Lucy shrugged slowly. Looking at Laxus again, she saw him gazing out towards the rising sun.

"Then let me take her. You can wait here." he recommended.

Laxus' suggestion came as a surprise to Lucy. "Stay here?"

There was a quick nod of his head. "You were going to avoid them anyway. Might as well stay. If I recall, they're basically causing you to suffer a mental breakdown." Laxus pointed out.

Lucy looked rather upset by this proposal, and shocked that Laxus had figured out her "problem" with Fairy Tail. She shouldn't have been surprised though. With the way she acted whenever the words "Fairy Tail" were even implied, it wouldn't be hard to tell that she had a upsetting past with them. Lucy shuddered a bit, avoiding Laxus's gaze.

"I… I know that…. better then anyone." Lucy muttered. "But-I can't! I promised Wendy and Charle I would get them where they needed to go. I'm not breaking my word! I'm going... no, I need to go, Laxus. Not just for Wendy and Charle, but also... for myself." Lucy paused, her fingers rolling into a fist, "I don't want-my past-hovering over my heart any longer. I want to push pass this. If I don't now, I don't think I ever will. I'll always have that horrifying nightmare haunting me in my dreams." Lucy gulped, slowly looking back at Laxus, who was staring at her, dumbfounded. "I'm not saying I want to just march up to Fairy Tail and demand to know why they simply kicked me out, or why they would even think for a second that hurting others is okay. I just-I want to take this first step to moving on." A small smile spread across Lucy's lips.

Laxus was silent, as if trying to figure out how to reply. "What ever, it doesn't matter to me." he said after a while, turning around to walk towards the back of the carriage.

Lucy flinched, slightly irritated by his monotonous reply. She had just declared her feelings of the whole situation in a dramatic monologue! What does he do to reply? Whatever? What sort of jerk does that!

Lucy marched after Laxus in anger, determined to get a decent reply from him! Lucy turned towards the back of the carriage, where Laxus had disappeared, only to have a cloak shoved into her face. Lucy's eyes widened as the cloak fell into her arms.

Lucy's fingers slid against the cloaks black silk, noticing that the cloak had a similar black hood attached to it. Looking up at Laxus confused. Lucy found that he too had a cloak, which was all ready around his shoulders.

"What's this for?" she asked, tilting her head.

"You don't want to be recognized do you? Put it on." Laxus said ordered coldly.

Lucy eyes widened. "Laxus." she said softly. A bright smile quickly spread on Lucy's face as she wrapped the cloak around her shoulders. "Thank you." she nodded at him.

Laxus scoffed, quickly passing her to head towards the camp site. Lucy chuckled a bit, staring at Laxus over her shoulder.

Even if Laxus would never admit it… he was a good guy.

Lucy followed after Laxus, instantly heading towards Wendy and Charle, who were still asleep. "Wendy, Charle." Lucy said softly, shacking the two gently.

"Brats wake up." Laxus said as he picked up his jacket.

"Laxus, don't be mean!" Lucy snapped over her shoulder, causing both of the younger mages to awaken from slumber.

"Morning all ready?" Wendy yawned, stretching her arms over her head.

"What a rude wake up call." Charle growled, glaring at Lucy.

Lucy flinched. "What? No! I didn't mean to! It was Laxus's fault!" Lucy whined.

Charle folded her arms, obviously not believing the older blonde. Lucy's back slouched, pouting.

Wendy chuckled at the two, quickly getting to her feet. "Today's the day." she said softly, suddenly frowning. "The time went by so fast."

Lucy nodded in agreement, staring at her two younger companions, who she would soon have to part from. Lucy would be lying if she said she was fine with them leaving. She wished she could stay by Wendy and Charle's side.

They had a job to do though, and it would be selfish to impose. So Lucy would just have to live with it, and hope that some day, they would meet again.

That aside though, there was still something rather fishy about Wendy's mission. If she recalled correctly, Wendy had said the whole point of the mission was to stop a group called the Oracion Seis who has had suspicious activity lately.

It was only a group of six members. Six? Was a whole guild alliance really necessary to take down of six people? They must be powerful monsters if thats the case.

Maybe Laxus and her could stick a round a while and help Wendy out then. Laxus probably won't like the idea, but Lucy was sure once she told them that they were strong apponents that would challenge him, he would instantly agree.

Plus, with her trusty cloak, she could hide her identity! This sounded good to her. Plus, it wouldn't be breaking any rules. They were working on taking down evil villains anyway.

Lucy smiled at the thought, but had to pause to rethink everything. She would only intervene if Wendy and Charle needed help, thats all. Lucy nodded to herself.

She was ready to kick butt and take names!

Lucy covered her mouth, holding back a giggle of excitement, causing her 3 companions to stare at her strangely.

"What?" Laxus questioned.

"N-Nothing, I just thought of something f-funny." Lucy laughed. She honestly had never thought of kicking butt and taking names before. She had usually just thought of herself as backup. To think of herself as the main kick butt protagonist just made her want to laugh for some reason.

It was exciting at the same time though. Like she was in her very own adventure story… which, she sort of was.

"Right." Laxus shrugged. "Lets just get going."

"Ah, right." Lucy nodded.

Wendy looked down at her feet. 'R… Right." she said softly, almost sad. Lucy looked at her confused.

"Everything all right?' she asked as they walked towards carriage.

"Oh, yeah. Everything's fine." Wendy forced a smile at Lucy as Charle floated above their heads, a unhappy frown on her face. "It's just… I'm sad we're separating."

Lucy's eyes widened. So she wasn't the only one. Lucy opened the carriage door, pausing to look at Wendy. "Well, weren't not leaving yet." Lucy said softly. "We still have an hour or so together before we get there, so lets spend the last of it with a bang." Lucy grinned.

Wendy looked up in surprise, a smile spreading across her lips. "Yeah!" she nodded. Charle smiled above Wendy, but quickly tried to hide it.

"All right, get in." Laxus said as soon as he got the horses in place.

"Right, right." Lucy nodded, allowing Wendy and Charle to enter the carriage first. Once Lucy got inside and closed the door, Laxus snapped the reins, causing the horses to start of in a small trot.

"Now Laxus, just go straight, do not turn unless I tell you!" Lucy yelled through the window.

"I know the way!" Laxus snapped over his shoulder.

"No, no you don't. You never do. So I repeat. Do not turn unless I say so!" Lucy screamed loud enough to cause the birds in near by trees to flee. Laxus growled in annoyance, rubbing his now throbbing ear.

"Whatever." he hissed, staring ahead as the horses pulled them forward.

Lucy smirked in victory, sticking her head back in the window to smile at Wendy, who smiled back.

"So… we have an hour, maybe more if Laxus doesn't follow my directions. What should we do?" Lucy asked.

"We could… talk." Wendy shrugged.

"Oh, you mean like girl talk? Like about boys, shopping, all that?" Lucy grinned.

Wendy blushed a bit. "W-Well I guess." she said softly.

Charle rolled her eyes. "Stupid blonde. Who wants to talk about that sort of stuff."

"Me." Lucy pouted at the white exceed. Charle just glared at her. "All right." Lucy nodded. "Lets start of with the simple questions. Do you have a boyfriend Wendy?" Lucy grinned, her author instincts to know every little detail coming out.

"A-A boyfriend?" Wendy squeaked, her cheeks turning pink. "N-No, of course not! I-I uh… Well that is to say… I haven't really found someone I'm i-interested in yet." Wendy stuttered

Lucy chuckled.

"What about you?" Charle said, folding her arms.

Lucy stiffened. "M-Me?" she asked with a nervous smile. Charle nodded. "Oh well… uh…." A blush covered Lucy's face. "I-I've never actually had a boyfriend before."

"Ha!" Laxus laughed from the front seat, causing Lucy to flinch and glare menacingly at him.

"Shut up." Lucy turned back to Wendy, quickly smiling. It was sort of odd though, to ask all these questions now, after they have all ready traveled with each other for such a long time. Well, only a few days, but it felt like an eternity to Lucy.

As the minutes began to pass, Lucy and the two younger mages found themselves in a game of I Spy. Though, there wasn't much to spy in a carriage.

"I Spy, with my little eyes, something white." Wendy said.

"Charle." Lucy guessed instantly, causing Wendy to jump in surprise.

"How did you know?" Wendy gasped. Lucy shrugged, knowing full well how to answer that question. Wendy had been staring at Charle for the past 2 minutes, so it wasn't that hard to figure out.

"I Spy, with my little eye, something… yellow." Lucy smiled. Wendy rubbed her chin, staring around the carriage.

"Your keys?" she asked.

"Thats more of a gold and silver, but no." Lucy chuckled, causing Wendy to blush with embarrassment.

"Then… Your hair?"

"Nope."

"…Laxus's hair?"

"Oh, good guess, but I'm afraid thats not it either." Lucy smiled.

"The wall." Charle guessed, which was in fact yellow.

Lucy shook her head, saying "Nope."

"The strips on Wendy's dress." Laxus called from the front seat. Lucy flinched.

"Laxus! You're not playing this game, so stop giving the answers away!" Lucy whined, whirling around to glare at Laxus, who was still staring forward.

"You didn't actually say I couldn't play." Laxus pointed out, scowling over his shoulder.

"W-Well- It was implied!" Lucy shouted, waving her fist in the air. Laxus rolled his eyes at the younger blonde before turning back forward.

"Stupid blonde." he muttered.

Lucy not noticing, or ignoring, Laxus's comment, grinned at Wendy and Charle. "Charle's turn."

Charle folded her arms with a scowl, oddly enough similar to Laxus's.

"I spy with my little eye, something…. stupid." Charle folded her arms.

"Lucy!" Laxus practically screamed from the front seat, causing Lucy to jump in surprise, her face turning red with rage.

Charle on the other hand, began to laugh.

"You're both jerks!" Lucy screeched, preparing to pounce on Charle to make her shut up. Though, it did make Lucy happy, to hear Charle's laugh.

Wendy covered her mouth, a little concerned that Lucy might just try to destroy the carriage with the menacing look she had.

Charle soon calmed down and the game continued on. It didn't last long though since Charle chose to insult Lucy in some way when it was her turn.

Lucy then decided to no longer play, after hitting both Charle and Laxus on the head. It was a little bit of a hassle though, since Lucy had to crawl out the little window to hit Laxus, who just scowled, threatening to throw Lucy off if she tried again.

The hour went by fast. Too fast for Lucy's liking. The had eventually reached Wendy's destination, stopping just in front of a the large building. Though Laxus, for some odd reason, decided to park the carriage behind a tree, hiding it completely.

Lucy helped Wendy and Charle out, frowning. This was it. The moment she had been dreading. She would have to say good-bye to her two new friends, and face her fear.

Lucy's knees wobbled at the thought, but Lucy refused to give into her weakness.

"Shall… we go?" she asked slowly, giving Wendy a small smile. Wendy nodded, walking towards the large building, looking rather nervous.

"You'll do fine you know." Lucy smiled, causing the worry to disappear from Wendy's eyes and widen with joy and determination.

"Right." she nodded.

Laxus trailed behind the group, his eyes narrowed to slits. He attention mainly fell onto Lucy, who had begun to pull the hood of her cloak of her head. Laxus followed suit, nodding to Wendy who was staring at her over her shoulder.

Charle seemed to understand the point of the cloaks, and didn't bother to question them.

The 4 walked towards the doors, noticing a Fairy Tail carriage near the building. They must of all ready arrived.

Lucy gulped. _You can do this Lucy, you can do this. Don't be afraid. You're stronger now. They won't even be able to recognize you. Besides, you have Laxus with you._

Lucy almost let out a gag. DId she really just think that? So what if Laxus was with her, he was just a pain. Yeah… thats right. He was just… a pain to her. Thats all.

_That's all he is to me… right?_

Lucy held her throbbing head. She couldn't think of this now, she had a job to do and needed to focus. Lucy looked up as Wendy opened the two large doors, leading into the Blue Pegasus mansion. Wendy stepped in first, instantly noticing the other forms all ready in the room.

"H-Hello- AHH!." Wendy began to but…. ended up tripping over the rug and falling flat on her face, causing the other strangers in the room to look at her in surprise. Lucy swear she thought she heard Laxus snicker, and would hit him for it later.

"A child?" One gasped as Wendy got to her feet and quickly introduced her self.

"I'm sorry I'm so late! U….Um…I'm Wendy Marvell, of Cait Shelter. Pleased to be working with you all." Wendy placed her hands behind her back, bowing to all the older mages who were staring at her in shock.

"A girl!" a man, with white hair gasped. Lucy blinked when she saw him. He looked familiar. Lucy thought for a moment, realizing after a while that he was Lyon Bastia. Gray's old childhood rival, if Lucy recalled correctly. Then of course there was Sherry Blendi, who Lucy could never forget.

What were they doing here? Did they join guilds and come to join the alliance?

"Wendy?"

Lucy froze from her thoughts. She knew that voice. She had heard it so many times, that it constantly rang in her head. Spiky pink hair soon became visible.

Lucy felt numb. The world began to spin around her. She thought she could handle it, but she appears to be wrong.

Standing before her was the man she trusted her life with. Her partner, and first comrade of Fairy Tail.

_Natsu_

**I'm done! Thank you all for the wait! I'm so sorry!**

**Sin of the Fallen: **So, so True. Thanks for the review, hope you liked the new chapter!

**Hackibukai: **Well, I got close to the meeting in this chapter. The actually meeting (ish) will be in the next chapter. Thanks for the review!

**MintLeafeon: ***Slams hands against desk* …..OWWW! That does hurt…. ALOT! Thanks for the review. Thanks for the PM. ^_^

**bunannza: **I thought the whole Laxus moment was pretty cute too. ^_^ Lucy definitely owns her ponytail! And reviews are never weird, there just… interesting.

**Lady Nosila: **The master is just that awesome! I'm glad you liked the chapter. Hopefully you liked this one too.

**MitsuiKoi: **Welcome! I'm glad you enjoy this story, and i try to answer all my reviewers questions in my story. ^_^

**Emil C: **Woow, long review! 0.0 Thanks for all the ideas, they were really helpful, and interesting! I hike you continue to read this story! I like the name for the guild you gave me. ^_^

**Princess Happy:** The master is a little bit weird. Sorry it took me so long to update. I hope you liked it! Gihehehe to you too!

**ReaderAlleluia:** Vulpecula! 0.0 Thats a fun little name. I'll have to add it to the list of many guild names i'm considering. ^_^

**Krystillie:** Thanks for the review. Sorry it took me so long to get this out. Please forgive me!

**Chrys Stone: **Oh, I like your guild names. They sound cool and exciting. I like them ^_^ Thanks for the review.

**Skullex: **I like the ending part too. I thought it was sweet and just had to add it.

**xxMurasakiInazumaxx: **Aww, thanks! You're sweet. And it makes complete sense. Thanks again for the review!

**OrbitalTM4: **Don't worry. The feelings of Lucy's spirits will definitely be shown in the next chapters.

**moonshine86: **Lucy and Laxus are a cute little match up, I must agree. I like your guild name suggestions. Everyones been giving me a lot of good one too. It's hard to pick from all of them 0,0 Hope you liked this chapter!

**Footster26: **Piece by piece, thats the plan. Glad you like that chapters, and Happy Holidays to you too!

**Shanisarous Rex: **I hope you liked this chapter just as much as the rest. I too think Laxus is pretty kick butt in this story. I just hope I'm getting his personality correct. 0.0

**Guild name: (for both reviews) **Who ever sent me these reviews…. You gave me a lot of names. 0.0. Though I really like a lot of them. They all sound so cool, so thanks for the ideas!

**Steph2500: **Lucy and Laxus are a cute couple in my opinion too! Thanks for the review, I hope you liked the chapter!

**These Heroes We Shall Remember: **Jeez, thank you! You're really nice! The guild name you gave me sounds cool! It makes a lot of sense and matches both Lucy and Laxus. ^_^

**OhtaSuzuke; **Thank you! You guys are all really sweet and supportive! You are right. I actually need a dark guild name and a light guild name actually. (For reasons I can't tell yet, hehe) Anyway, Hope you liked this new chapter!

**Geeres: **Glad you liked the chapters! And thanks for the guild name ideas! Yours were all really good. Laxus may have to step in once this starts off. hehehehe!

**evonne heartfillia: **Oh well if it's not really your name. It's still cool! Sorry for taking so long to update!

**Namikaze360: **It's okay I understand. Finals are tough! Thanks for the support and nice comments! The guild names you gave me are interesting too. Sprite Haven sounds funny to me for some reason. It just made me laugh when I read it. I don't know why, hehe ^_^

**SierraPaige: **The encounter will in fact be epic!

**Chloeandderek:** Thanks! I really appreciate the support! I will always write more!

**Lili-AnimeFreakk: **Yeah, I don't even know why I thought of this idea. It just started off as a weird thought, but then I couldn't stop thinking about it. So the idea grew and grew till it became this! Glad you like the story, I hope you continue to read it!

**ShinningStellar: **Those are cool gem related names. I actually needed a dark and light guild name so those sound pretty close to what I need. I'm gonna have to add them to the list of all the names i might chose! Thanks for the review!

**kirana46: **It's all right, I understand if you can't think of anything. I've actually got a whole bunch of other guild names from all the other reviewers! 0.0 And Phionoen Guild is a nice name. It sounds cool. ^_^ ….chuckle chuckle…. KIDDING! AHaha, I really do like the name though. It's nice.

**diamondarrowmage: **Haha, the bear reminds me a bit of me too. hehe. Your theory is actually really well thought of. That would have been an interesting way to take it actually. ^_^ Thanks for the review, I hope you had a good new years and a great 2012!

**diamondarrowmage: **(To your second review) Makarov is definitely not old! He's just really in touch with Fairy Tails members. Thanks for the review, sorry for the wait.

**Rainie Dai: **Aww thanks, your sweet. I had to laugh at that little moment too. It just seemed to fit for some reason. Sorry for the grammar errors! I try but I always seem to miss something(things) -_-

**oniwuufu: **Spirit lightning huh. Sounds exciting! I like it ^_^

**CarolinaSama: **Oh, thanks for the dark and light guild names. I actually need a light and dark guild name for my story, Thanks for the review!

**Summing up the Stars: **Aww thanks! It makes me happy to know you like my story!

**ninjacats: **Laxus does hug Lucy! He liiiiiiiiikes her. (sorry, Happy moment there) Hehe ^-^ Thanks you so much for the review. hehe! ^_^

**Skymia (i'm going to add all your reviews into one reply since you had so many): **Thank you for all the help! I feel like I have all ready improved so much because of you! It's really inspired me to get better. Thanks for all the suggestions too. Hope to here from you soon. ^_^

**peddy-kun: **Oh, thats sounds so cool! Angel/Grigori. What language is that anyway? It sounds cool.

**bloocharm: ***blush* Aww, you guys are so amazing and nice. Thank you!

**chanek3: **thanks for the review. i stayed up late to finish this chapter. I'm really tired. 0.0

**AnimangaLover05: **Thanks for the guild names. Theres really good. Red Ruby was a nice one.

**Olalna: **I wrote more! hehe! thanks for the review

**Fallenqueen2: **That will all happen in the next chapter. I sort of felt a cliff hanger would fit here. Hope you aren't mad, hehe.

**lime00toaster00cat: **Hehe, aww your making me blush. Thanks for the review. Glad you enjoy my story.

**.Guilt: **Heres the next chapter, hope you like it.

**silentperson5461: **Sorry for the wait, i hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as i did writing it!

**eden: **hehe thanks. I think Laxus and Lucy are a cute couple too, and am really glad I made this story.

**Summin up the Star:**

**queenJx: **I hope you liked this chapter. I tried hard on it so everyone would like it. Hope fully you like it too. ^_^

**shadow angel: **Aww thanks. Thanks you for the review and nice comments, it made me happy!

**oO Mizuki-chan Oo:** Thanks for the review! It made me happy to hear from you! hope you liked the chapter!

**Sarah: ***blush* ….thank you… so much. That means so much to me. You guys are all so nice to me.

**Llyss Sayu Slytherin: **Your english was fine. French people are cool. ^-^ sorry it took me so long to get this chapter out. I hope you liked it. I had a character named Kaminari once. It made me laugh when I saw you used her name. I like the guild name. It's cool. I love how it mixes up both Laxus and Lucy's name.


	17. The game plan?

**Well here is the new chapter, I hope you all like it!**

The world seemed to freeze.

Lucy's body felt numb, her mind no longer comprehending what was going on. She held her breath as the pink haired fire mage came into view, blinking at them in confusion.

Happy flew to his side, his eyes widening at the sight of Charle. "A cat! A talking cat!" he gasped, though it was pretty ironic how he was freaking out about a talking cat, when he was a talking cat himself.

"Hey Erza, can you go give her a fish for me?" Happy pleaded with a smile, grabbing a hold of the scarlet haired mage's left leg. Her other leg was busy slamming a man with bright orange hair and a large nose into the ground.

Erza blinked. "That is something you have to do yourself, Happy." Erza coughed slightly, a light blush of embarrassment on her face. She was never good when it came to romantic affairs.

Happy gave her a disappointed pout before looking back at Charle, his eyes shaped like hearts.

Lucy fell silent, which began to worry Wendy. Wendy looked at Lucy over her shoulder, trying to see Lucy's face.

Laxus stuffed his hands in his pockets, also silent.

Jura looked towards Laxus and Lucy with a frown. "Are you two apart of Cait Shelter?" he questioned, unaware that there would be more than one member coming from that guild.

Laxus shook his head, saying, "No".

"T-They were my guides. I was a-attacked on the way here and they saved me." Wendy announced quickly, running her fingers through her hair nervously.

Jura nodded. "Ah I see, thank you then."

Laxus nodded, unlike Lucy, who still had not said a word. She seemed unable to at this point. The hood covered her face, so no one was able to tell what type of expression she had.

Laxus knew though. It wasn't too hard for him to guess.

Laxus cleared his throat, speaking as soft yet as deep as he could. "Then, we shall take our leave." Laxus mentally slapped himself. Was he seriously worried about his identity being revealed? It wouldn't matter if they figured out who he was anyway! Lucy on the other hand… he was sure there would be problems there.

Wendy's eyes widened in shock, realizing this would be where the small group would part.

"La-" Laxus quickly placed his hand on top of Wendy's head, interrupting her from saying his name. Wendy stared up at Laxus in surprise.

Laxus scowled, realizing he would have to say something. Plus, knowing Lucy, he would have to say something nice. Or else Lucy would yell at him later.

"Stay strong… and uh…. Let's meet again." Laxus nodded, his voice soft, almost a whisper.

Wendy's eyes widened, smiling softly. Charle folded her arms, looking towards the ground with a small smile of her own.

Wendy nodded. "Okay." After realizing that Laxus probably wanted to keep their identities a secret, Wendy walked over to Lucy.

"I guess this is goodbye." Wendy said, taking Lucy's hand and holding onto it. Lucy, who had been lost in her own little world, let out a small gasp of surprise when she felt Wendy grab her hand. She looked down at the younger mage, her eyes wide.

"Thank you for everything. Let's meet again." Wendy was struggling to hold back her tears as she wrapped her arms around Lucy's back, bringing her into a hug.

Lucy blinked, refusing to look towards the other guild members. She nodded slowly, wrapping her arms around Wendy's shoulders and hugging her as tight as she could. Lucy patted Wendy on the head as she pulled away, quickly nodding towards Charle, who nodded back.

"Bye." Wendy said softly as Lucy stepped back to Laxus's side.

"I guess this is where you part. Thank you once again for bringing Wendy Marvell here safely." Jura said the two hooded figures, who just nodded in reply.

Laxus placed a hand on Lucy's shoulder, guiding her towards the door, since she seemed to have trouble walking straight.

"Stay calm you fool." Laxus hissed in her ear, causing Lucy to elbow him in the stomach. Laxus growled a bit, but did nothing else in reply.

Lucy wanted to say something back, but her mouth felt so dry. Like she had been walking through the desert for a whole day. Her legs sure felt like she had been.

**(Quick switch) Natsu's POV**

_Wendy, Wendy…. Where have I heard that name before? _For some reason I couldn't stop trying to remember. I knew that name was important in what way, but what was the reason?

I paused from my thinking (Gasp! That's right, Natsu can think!) to stare at the two hooded characters that were leaving. Something seemed odd about them.

Subconsciously I breathed through my nose, unintentionally sniffing the air.

_The smell of fish from Happy. Cheesecake, probably from Erza. Forest, dirt, and… Strawberries?_

I paused, taking another good whiff. There it was again. It was a small scent, but it was there. Could it be?

No, it couldn't.

_She's not here Natsu. She's gone… because you couldn't protect her._

I cringed, as if being slapped in the face. It was my fault that Lucy wasn't here with us on this mission right now. The strawberry smell was probably coming from Sherry, or Wendy, maybe even Charle. It could even be coming from those Blue Pegasus guys. They were definitely wearing cologne.

The more I sniffed the air though, the more I realized it was coming from a retreating source. From one of the hooded guys leaving.

I held out my hand to stop them, but paused when Jura said, "All the guilds are now assembled."

"Whoa, whoa, hold it!" Gray gasped, not expecting the fact that a small child would be joining the mission.

**Normal POV**

Laxus quickly opened the door, not bothering to wait for Lucy to walk through, and simply pushed her forward, causing her to stumble out of the large mansion. Laxus stepped out, closing the door behind him.

As soon as Lucy was away from Fairy Tail's presence, she instantly felt relieved.

"Idiot, what do you think you were do-" Laxus paused when Lucy covered her mouth with her hands and began to scream into them, causing the noise to sound muffled. "What are you-?"

Lucy stomped her feet into the ground, spinning in a few circles, yelling unknown words into her hands. As Lucy continued to stomp around, in which looked like she had just stubbed her toe, her hood fell backwards, revealing her face. Laxus watched, confused, yet slightly amused.

"Gah!" Lucy gasped, pulling her hands away from her mouth to stare up at the sky.

"…Uh…. You okay?" Laxus said slowly.

Lucy was still, her gaze never leaving the blue sky above her. "Yeah." she murmured softly. Lucy's gaze slowly moved to Laxus, a small smile of gratitude on her face. "Thank you, Laxus." If it wasn't for Laxus, she probably would have broken down right there and then.

Laxus looked at her in disbelief, not completely understanding why she was thanking him. "Uh, no problem." he muttered, folding his arms.

Lucy nodded, turning back towards the carriages. "Well Laxus, I have a plan." Lucy began to walk forward, towards the forest. Laxus quickly followed after her, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

Laxus blinked. "Plan?"

Lucy grinned over her shoulder. "Yup, and I need your help."

Laxus grimaced, a feeling a wave of dread well up in his stomach. "What does this plan involve exactly?"

"Ultimate stealth, for one thing." Lucy stretched her arms up in the air. "See, I was thinking of this before. It would be unfair to just ditch Wendy and Charle here, so why not help them out?"

Laxus's eyes widened, realizing where Lucy was going with this. "Oh no, no, no. You said we would only have to bring those two brats to their destination. I am not sticking around to help them with a mission that all ready involves 3 other guilds." Laxus hissed.

"Why not? I want to help Wendy and Charle! Besides, don't you find that just a little bit interesting?" Lucy folded her arms, raising an eye brow at Laxus, trying to draw him in.

Laxus looked at Lucy questioningly. "What do you mean?"

"The council ordered 4 of the strongest guilds to form an alliance, to take down SIX people. Sounds to me like these six must be pretty strong for the council to take an endeavor to this high of a scale." Lucy smirked, knowing full well that Laxus wouldn't let an opportunity like this slip passed him.

Laxus paused, thinking over the situation once more. Lucy knew she had won when Laxus's shoulders stiffened just a bit, meaning he had come to agreement with her statement.

"Okay… I'm listening." he said stiffly, scowling.

Lucy grinned in victory, placing her hands on her hips. "We can't just go barging in there and demand to be a part of the mission-" Lucy paused. "Well, I guess we could." Lucy rubbed her chin, thinking the idea over. "No, no, we can't. I wouldn't be able to handle being so close to…. Fairy Tail. Plus, the alliance is for guilds only." Lucy announced.

Laxus nodded. "Okay. So you just want to follow the girl and cat around… like a creeper?" a smirk crept its way onto Laxus's lips, causing Lucy to flinch.

"I'm not a creeper!" Lucy screeched angrily. "I'm just suggesting we help Wendy out when she needs us."

Laxus nodded slowly. "Without the other guilds knowing?"

"Precisely," Lucy nodded.

Laxus fell silent, as if thinking the whole plan over. "Say we get caught… what then?"

Lucy froze, not thinking that far ahead. "Uh…'

"You didn't even think about that, did you?" Laxus smirked mockingly.

"S-Shut up!" Lucy flushed red with embarrassment. "If we get caught we can… uh…" Lucy ran her hand through her hair, biting her bottom lip in thought.

Laxus chuckled in amusement.

"We will… keep fighting." Lucy said slowly. Laxus raised his eye brow at Lucy, questioning what she meant. "It doesn't matter if they find out who we are… I'm going to protect Wendy and Charle, no matter what." Determination filled Lucy's eyes and she folded her hand into a fist and pointed it towards Laxus. "I won't let anything stop me!"

Shocked by Lucy's words, Laxus simply nodded.

Satisfied with the battle plan, though it wasn't really a plan at all, Lucy headed towards the nearest bushes, Laxus following from behind. Lucy stepped over the bushes then crouched down. She patted the dirt next to her, motioning for Laxus to sit beside her. "We'll wait here till they come out, then follow them."

Laxus stared down at Lucy in annoyance. What had happened to the girl he had seen when he was still a member of Fairy Tail? Sure, he had never actually talked to Lucy when they were both in Fairy Tail, but he had heard enough to know she cared a lot about her looks and never wanted to get dirty if she could avoid it.

She must have changed after that day. Laxus sighed in defeat, crouching down next to Lucy. Let the waiting begin.

As time passed, Lucy began to play with her keys. She twisted them in her hands, admiring the detail and craftsmanship of each of her precious celestial keys. How was everyone? They seemed more at ease lately, though Lucy could still feel how worried they were since she didn't call them out often. Hopefully, Aquarius wasn't too mad at her. Then again, Aquarius was always mad at Lucy, even when she was summoned.

Lucy held her keys in one hand, while leaning back on the other, feeling the dirt beneath her fingers.

A couple months ago, Lucy couldn't stand being dirty. The feeling of the dirt just made her want to cringe. Plus, it made her clothes look so nasty looking! It was embarrassing.

Now, she loved the feeling of the dirt. How dust was like when dry, yet squishy when wet. It was just so fascinating. After leaving Fairy Tail (Lucy frowned) Lucy's looks just didn't matter as much to her anymore.

That day, she had felt like her heart was pulled right out her chest; then stepped on. It made her want to cry just thinking about it, but her tears didn't come. She had cried them all out by now.

No, that wasn't it. Maybe she was afraid to cry? Lucy knew if she did cry, that would mean she was too weak, mentally, to help Wendy and Charle. That was something Lucy could never allow.

"They're coming." Laxus announced in a hushed tone once Natsu appeared from the mansion. Lucy squeaked in surprise, ducking behind Laxus' back.

"I'm going to take all six of them on by myself!" The fire mage yelled as he went running past the bushes Laxus and Lucy were crouched behind.

As Natsu ran by, his speed decreased a bit as he smelled the air. He frowned, once again smelling something so familiar. The smell was faint though, so Natsu ignored it and kept running.

Laxus, noticing Natsu's look, scowled. "I forgot about that idiot's nose… this may be a problem." he muttered under his breath.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Lucy whispered, peeking out from behind Laxus.

Laxus and Lucy ducked down once again when the rest of the guild members went running passed them. Once the last of them had gone, Lucy and Laxus rose from the bushes.

"Let's go." Lucy said.

"Wait." Laxus said, grabbing her arm.

"Huh? What is it-GAH!" Lucy yelled in shock when Laxus threw some dirt at her face. "Pfft!" she hacked and coughed out some dirt. "Laxus what are you-" Laxus grabbed some blue berries from the bush and squished them in his hands, thus throwing the juice at Lucy's face and cloths. "What are you doing!" Lucy screeched, pushing Laxus away to clean her face with her sleeve.

"It needed to be done." Laxus stated, folding his arms.

"Why?" Lucy demanded, glaring at Laxus, grabbing the hilt of her celestial sword threateningly, growling.

"That kid, Natsu. He smelled your scent before." Lucy froze, her eyes widened in slight horror. "If he wasn't an idiot, he probably would have realized it was you." Laxus announced.

"I… I see. Thank you then." Lucy said slowly, looking towards the ground. How could she have forgotten Natsu's amazing sense of smell? She was lucky she hadn't been using the same shampoo lately, or she might of been in trouble. "So, do you have a good sense smell too?" Lucy asked slowly, wondering if all dragon slayers had an amazing sense of smell. She would have to ask Wendy later to make sure.

Laxus shrugged. "I guess."

Lucy smiled. "What do I smell like?"

Laxus scowled at her. "Like dirt and berries."

"No duh! You just threw those things at me!" Lucy growled. Laxus smirked at the younger blonde's angry face. Satisfied, Laxus began to walk in the direction the guild members had just disappeared.

"If you really want to know, you used to smell like strawberries…. a little bit of vanilla too." Laxus called over his shoulder. Lucy paused.

_Strawberries and Vanilla?_

Lucy smiled, happy to know she at least smelled a little good…. at least, she used to. Lucy ran after Laxus, staring down at the foot prints of the other guild members.

She could tell which were Wendy's, since she had the smallest of the human feet.

As Lucy and Laxus trailed far behind the other guild members, who must still be running at this point, they paused as a large flying structure flew over their heads.

"Wha-!" Lucy gasped in awe as the flying horse like machine flew over them, eclipsing the sun. "What is that!"

"The Anti-Demon Assault ship, Christina." Laxus announced.

"Wow." Lucy breathed as it flew passed them, towards the others.

"That must be their main weapon against the enemy."

Lucy nodded in agreement. A ship that size could definitely cause a lot of damage, if used properly. "We should hurry." Lucy grinned, running after the ship. This was starting to get… exciting for some reason. Lucy slowed down a bit as they got closer to the guild members, who had also paused to stare at the large ship. Lucy squeaked, ducking behind a tree, pulling Laxus along with her. She didn't want to be seen yet.

"Idiot, if you're that worried about getting caught, keep your hood up." Laxus hissed, pulling his arm out of Lucy's grasp. Laxus grabbed Lucy's hood and lifted it over her head, his thumbs brushing against her cheeks. Lucy stared up at Laxus in surprise, her face growing hot at his intense stare.

"Uh, t-thanks." Lucy mumbled, pulling away from Laxus's hold to look the other way. Lucy quickly pulled her hood down the rest of the way, hiding her face. Lucy gulped. She had to calm down. What was with her today? First the thing with Fairy Tail, now this? Her heart and brain had to stop making her feel so weird. Lucy leaned against the tree, looking towards the clearing where the guild members were gathered and currently staring at the Christina. Lucy jumped in surprise at the sound of an explosion, and gasped when she saw it had come from the Christina. The ship had begun to smoke and collapse at different spots on the ship. It started to fall, landing in a large heap in front of everyone.

The clearing was silent, staring at the burning Christina in horror and shock.

"W-What just happened?" Lucy murmured, horrified at to how a large ship like that could have fallen so easily.

Laxus' eyes narrowed, realizing the enemy was near. "It's them." he hissed.

As if on cue, six figures appeared from the smoke of the fallen Christina.

_Six_

There was no doubt, it had to be them. They were the whole reason they were there in the first place.

"Oracion…. Seis?" Lucy gasped in shock.

**Princess Happy: **Thank you for the review! I hope you enjoyed the new chapter! ^_^

**Sin of the Fall: **That would be awesome if we could add a soundtrack to this story! I often play the songs in my head if I think they go with the moment. It would in fact be bold, dashing, unique, and smashing! All in that order. ^_^

**MintLeafeon:** I don't know why I did it, all I know is that it hurt~! I'm glad I got a new computer too. Thanks for the review!

**Footster26: **Yes, they will in fact help the other guilds, mwahahaha! Thank you for the review and I hope you liked this chapter.

**OhtaSuzuke:** I'm glad you like the chapter, and I hope you liked this one just as much! The next chapter will be hilarious, dramatic, and epic in all it's ways! At least… I hope it will be. ^_^

**kirana46: **I updated! ^_^

**fanatic-fangirl: **It's always a good thing to leave people wanting more, that way you know they will be back later on. ^_^ Thanks for the review, I'm happy to be back!

**ShinningStellar: **Thank you for the review! I'm really happy that you enjoy my story so much! It always makes me smile to see so many people send me nice reviews. ^_^

**DelphinusTea: **I updated as soon as I could! I hope you didn't mind the wait! Thanks for the review. :D

**These Heroes We Shall Remember: **Here is the 17th chapter! Yeah, I'm just really happy I was able to get my new computer up and running. Thanks for the review!

**MirageIceDragonSlayer:** I hope you enjoyed the 17th chapter. I'm really happy you enjoy my story so much! It feels me with joy.

**RandomPersonFrom America:** I honestly had no idea when Lucy Birthday was and just picked a random time in the year. I probably should have looked more into it. Thanks for letting me know though. ^_^

**Chloeandderek: **I did update! I'm sorry it took me so long to get the chapter out. I hope you enjoyed this one as well as my last one. ^_^

**Fallenqueen2: **I actually really enjoy writing about Wendy, Laxus, Lucy, and Charle. I feel like those 4 would make a good group, and they do. They're all like one little family.

**Krystiiie:** I'm really glad you liked the cliff hanger ^_^ And I hope you liked this chapter as much as you did the last.

**Chrys Stone: **Too bad Natsu doesn't realize it's her.

**SakuraTreeLover: **She did see Natsu, sadly, he didn't realize it was her and wasn't able to tell her the truth of what happened. But that doesn't… he won't have a chance to (hehehe,)

**Lyss Sayu Slytherin: **It was a very good guild name and I hope I didn't make you wait to long for this next chapter.

**Emil C: **You did fine on your last review, it really gave me a lot of great ideas for this story, and a lot of others. ^_^ I do need a few characters, but I am mainly looking for guild names at this point, and a lot of the names you suggested are good. Thank you for all your hard work on this. ^_^

**SierraPaige: **Natsu did recognize Lucy's scent, at least just a little. Hehe ^_^

**Lili-AnimeFreakk: **Thanks for the review, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

**bunannza: **I shall never stop writing this story! I will only stop when it is finished, hehe ^_^ I saw the error in the format and went back to fix it. It was fine when I was typing it, but it turned out all weird when I posted it. Weird 0.0

**jasmine831: **Who knows when Laxus will realize his feeling. It could slowly begin to appear, or suddenly just SMACK him in the face. It's hard to tell. (hehe) I too wish there were more LaxusXLucy stories.

**shire-chan63: **Thanks for the review! Glad you liked the story!

**RandomPersonFromAmerica (review 2): **No way! This story will never just end on a cliff hanger. It might take a small break from time to time, but never end… till you know, the actually ending of this story =P

**Kurieita: **I'm glad you like this story so much, it makes me really happy to hear that you enjoy it. I hope you liked this chapter as well.

**AnisRocks: **This will in fact probably be a LaxusXLucy story. Then again… I might change my mind later on… I don't really know really. At the moment though, it is definitely LaxusXLucy. ^_^

**Namikaze360: **I honestly can't wait till Natsu and the others realize the hooded people are Lucy and Laxus. That is definitely going to be a dramatic moment. ^_^ Hehe

**Summing up the Stars: **What? I didn't add a comment for you at the end! Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry! I thought I had gotten everyone. I was so tired when I stared writing the comments that I must have skipped right passed you. I'm sorry. I hope you aren't upset or feel left out. Again, I am really, really sorry.

**MyLovelyRabbit: (**chapter1) I had the same feeling as I wrote that chapter. I almost cried while writing it. (Chapter 2) I thought Lucy and Laxus's interactions were really cute too.^_^ (Chapter 3) I know! It was so sad! I actually cried while I was writing it. My mom got a little creeped out when she came in to see me typing, yet bawling my eyes out at the same time.

**chacra:** Awe, thanks for the review. I'm glad you like my story. Laxus and Lucy's relationship make me laugh too. It just find it adorable. I'm really looking forward to when I can reveal Lucy's identity to Natsu and the gang. Thats going to be a very epic moment. ^_^

**YhenCay: **I updated as soon as I could. I hope you didn't mind the wait! Thank you for the review, I'm glad you liked it.

**Bloody.5507: **I updated! I hope you liked this chapter! ^_^

**Brittany: **Being excited is perfectly fine. It's what makes fangirls who they are! I myself being a fangirl understands completely.

**WT82: **Thank you for helping me out with this chapter, I'm glad I was able to fix it up a bit before I posted it.

**lime00toaster00cat: **Taseto made me laugh! That's such a weird and funny name! Thank you for the review. I'm super glad you liked my newest chapter, and I hope you liked this one too.

**CarolinSama: **The 'I Spy' game was really funny. I enjoyed writing it. Thanks for the review, hope to hear from you soon!

**Lost Canvas: **I do enjoy long reviews. ^_^ Ohh, I like your guild names. It made me laugh how you reviewed my chapter on how the story line went. It was nice. ^_^ Thank you.

**bloocharm: ***Blush* You guys are all so nice to me. Thank you so much for the wonderful reviews, it really makes me happy.

**oniwuufu: **NO! You mustn't cry! I actually was going to wait a little longer in writing this chapter, but as soon as I saw your review I started typing as fast as I could. I actually dove to my computer. I scared my mom a bit when I went running passed her screaming "MUST UPDATE!"

**Ruined Rose: **Thank you so much! I'm glad you liked it!

**MCRxRoxx: **I'm sorry to leave a cliff hanger, I just felt like it fit the mood. I got the newest chapter out as soon as I could!


	18. An unbearable fight

Lucy stared in the clearing in shock, her attention concentrated on the man in the center of the six new figures.

He had neat, shoulder length white hair that was pushed to the side of his face. It showed off his forehead, which had two black lines leading down his face and connecting at his nose. He had several more lines at his ears and chin. Dark skinned, he was a little taller and more muscular then most guys usually were. At the moment, he wore a long white trench coat that had a black fuzzy collar. There was no shirt underneath it, showing off his chest that had the Oracion Seis symbol. At his side, he held a long stick with a skeleton head. A sprout of red feather-like ornaments and grass was attached to it.

"Some maggots have gathered." The man said dryly, staring at the guilds in boredom.

Lucy looked towards the other Oracion Seis members as they began to speak. The next was a white haired woman who looked like she was dressed as some sort of bird.

"Your way of thinking is too predictable." The women chuckled, placing her hand on her hip and the other in the air. "We've already beaten Jura and Ichiya. How's that?" The women began to chuckle, like she had won some sort of prize.

Lucy glared at the women, instantly not liking her attitude. What did she mean – they had already beaten Jura and Ichiya?

_Jura_

That was the man she had seen at the meeting place right? Was he really defeated so easily?

Lucy paused. She saw two small doll-like creatures dancing around at the women's feet. _Were those celestial spirits?_

The woman must be a celestial mage. Lucy slowly smirked out of excitement. Maybe she could challenge her. See what type of spirits she had and test her own strength as well.

Lucy was again pulled away from her thoughts when the guild members began to speak.

"What?" Lyon gasped, his eyes widening in disbelief.

"No way!" A man with dark skin and shoulder length black hair gasped. Lucy had seen this man in magazines before. He was… Ren Akatsuki if she recalled correctly. He was a member of Blue Pegasus.

It was Oracion Seis' turn to speak. Lucy looked towards the man on the side, who had a large purple snake-like creature floating around him.

"Are you trembling?" he asked, smirking with delight. "I heard it."

_Heard it?_ That made no sense. What had he heard?

Laxus frowned at the man's words, thinking them over carefully. He grabbed Lucy by the arm and took a couple more steps away from the clearing.

"Who knows what those six can do, it's better to stay at a far distance for now." Laxus explained quickly when Lucy gave him a look of confusion.

"We prefer to finish our job as quick as possible, but you guys are in the way." The man with sunglasses, spiky blond hair and a large piece of metal covering his chin stated.

"Money makes a person stronger, right?" the man with a weird shaped face interrupted. "Let me tell you something good. In this world money is everything-"

"Shut up Hoteye!" The others snapped.

_So that one is Hoteye._ Lucy nodded to herself.

She had now heard all of the voices of Oracion Seis… well, except for the one who was currently sleeping.

"Is he sleeping?" Lucy whispered softly, staring at man appeared to be sleeping throughout the whole conversation.

"You saved us some time!" Lucy heard Gray and Natsu yell, who both charged towards Oracion Seis.

"Natsu, Gray!" Erza yelled angrilly.

"Those morons." Laxus muttered, leaning his back against one of the many trees.

"Do it." the one in the center ordered as the sunglasses guy ran forward in a flash of yellow.

"S-So fast." Lucy gasped, ducking further into the bushes. Her eyes widened as the man quickly attacked Natsu and Gray, knocking them to the ground.

"So that one specializes in speed, huh?" Laxus nodded thoughtfully.

"I think the girl is a Celestial mage." Lucy announced softly. Laxus and Lucy looked towards the girl and saw that the blue creatures that were once by her side we gone. Lucy looked around the clearing frantically to try and see them.

"Gyah!" Sherry screamed when she was attacked by… herself?

The fake Sherry laughed yelling out "Fool!" as she hit the real Sherry to the ground.

"What?" Lucy whispered, staring at the scene in shock. There we two Sherry's? No, that's not right.

Lucy soon got the answer to her confusion when the fake Sherry morphed back into the two blue creatures she had seen before. Lucy looked at Laxus in shock while he stared ahead blankly, his expression never changing.

"Their plan is falling apart. They're going to lose this battle if they don't start working together." Laxus said slowly. Lucy couldn't help but agree.

"With money, not even love is needed, right!" Hoteye exclaimed when Lyon rushed towards him.

Lyon gasped when the ground began to shake and move below his feet. "Wha-What! The ground is-" Lyon didn't finish his sentence before he was tossed into the air and swept away by the fast moving ground once again.

Lucy's eyes widened in horror as she watched the Blue Pegasus members attacked by the quick moving Oracion Seis member.

"Laxus…" Lucy said softly as she glanced at him, wanting to rush out and help the guilds.

"Not yet." Laxus said sternly.

Lucy frowned, slowly looking back at the clearing. She bit her bottom lip, struggling to hold back tears that threatened to fall.

Laxus glanced her, frowning. His eyes widened slightly at the sight of a single tear trickling down Lucy's face. "…Don't cry idiot…." Laxus said softly, reaching out his hand to whip away the tear.

Lucy, who was surprised by Laxus's sudden gesture, blushed. "You're the idiot, idiot." she sniffed looking away from his gaze. Laxus only smirked a bit, looking back at the clearing.

Lucy, who's heart was currently beating at a rapid speed, stole a quick glance at Laxus, then back to the clearing herself.

"Dance, my swords!" Erza had joined the fight, already equipped into her armor. Her swords shot forwards towards the man with the snack, but he easily dodged.

Lucy could only stare helplessly as the guilds were slowly defeated. Natsu, whose attack against the sleeping Oracion Seis member failed, was soon hit down by the fast moving blond. Gray followed suit when the blue creatures, who had transformed to look like him, hit him with ice similar to his own.

"They… used Ice magic." Lucy gasped as Gray hit the ground with a painful "thump'

"More like copied." Laxus scowled.

"Copied?" Lucy questioned.

"When those things turned into the pink haired girl, they used her magic too. I think they not only copy one's look, but their magical abilities as well." Laxus explained, ducking down so that he was sitting next to Lucy.

Lucy nodded, turning back towards the fight. She heard a small whimper and saw Wendy was hiding behind a rock, shaking.

"Wendy." Lucy said softly, wanting to run to the girl, but held herself back. She frowned as she watched the guild members fall one by one. Erza seemed to be the only one holding her own.

Lucy's eyes widened when she saw the blond haired Oracion Seis member appear above Erza's head. Lucy opened her mouth to yell out a warning to Erza but Laxus covered her mouth.

"She'll be fine." he said sternly, and was soon proven right when Erza had dodged both Oracion Sies members' attacks and hit them back with her own.

"But-"

Hoteye joined the fight, knocking Erza off balance, a perfect chance for them to strike her down.

"Erza-" Lucy covered her mouth as she watched the blond hit her in the stomach sending her flying. Lucy's hand shook violently as she struggled to keep herself in place.

Lucy's hand roamed around on the ground below her, trying to distract herself from the horrifying battle in front of her. Her hands fell on a medium sized rock, which she lifted up to her lap to play with nervously.

"Calm down." Laxus scowled, glancing at her.

"Shut up, don't you dare tell me to calm down." Lucy hissed angrily, staring ahead in worry. Even if Fairy Tail had betrayed and beaten her, they were still important to her. To watch them get injured like this... it was unbearable.

"I can hear your movements!" The snake guy laughed as his snake lunged forward, preparing to bite down into Erza's flesh.

Lucy's thought process froze as time seemed to slow down. "Er…za!" she stuttered. Something inside Lucy snapped, and her hand, which held the rock, flew back and shot forward at an amazing speed.

Laxus eyes widened in shock as the rock whizzed past his head, towards the clearing.

'SNAP!'

The clearing fell silent as the rock hit the snake straight in the face, causing it to lose control of itself and go the opposite direction of Erza's arm. Erza's eyes widened as its tail lashed, hitting her in the stomach and sending her sliding back towards Natsu. Erza held her head in pain, glancing towards the spot she was once standing. She should have gotten bitten by that snack like creature, yet something had saved her. What though?

"Wha-" the snack guy gasped as his snake slithered back to him, its nose slightly dented from the hit.

"Cobra, what was with that pathetic attack?" the female demanded angrily, placing her hands on her hips.

"I… I don't know." he hissed angrily, staring around for the perpetrator.

Lucy and Laxus were staring at the clearing in shock, unable to come to words with what just happened.

Without a word Laxus grabbed Lucy by her shoulders and dragged her behind a tree just in case the members of either group looked towards them.

Lucy stared down at her hand in shock. Did she really just do that? She honestly had never thought she would have been able to throw the rock at that speed, not to mention with such power. Lucy's hand trembled, the adrenaline still rushing through her body.

"What was that, you stupid blonde!" he hissed angrily in a low tone, grabbing her chin and lifting it up to see her face.

Lucy snapped out of her daze to glare up at Laxus in anger. "I don't know, my arm just reacted on it's own! There was nothing else I could do and I couldn't just let her be bitten like that!" Lucy growled back at him, pulling away from his grasp, her cheeks a tint of pink.

"You probably just blew our cover!" Laxus announced, glancing out from behind the tree to see if they were noticed.

The two groups had yet to notice their presence, but the so-called Cobra was definitely looking for them.

Lucy looked out from the behind the tree with Laxus to see the members of the guild struggling to get up. Lucy could barely hear what they were saying but faintly heard Gray say "Too strong."

Lucy let out a small gasp of horror when she saw the white haired man from Oracian Seis step forward and lift up his hand, which had begun to glow.

"You trash should all vanish." he said coldly, his hand facing the collapsed guild members.

"Laxus!" Lucy whispered pleadingly.

Laxus scowled, not sure himself what to do.

"Dark Rondo!" The man yelled, the magic beginning to surround him. Laxus flinched when Lucy ran forward.

"Idiot!" Laxus hissed running after her and grabbing her from behind. Laxus wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her down to the ground with him.

"Let me go Laxus!" She yelled, though her voice was muffled due to her mouth being covered by Laxus' hand.

Lucy frantically tried to pull away from Laxus' strong grip, yelling out to Laxus to release her. Laxus held her firmly though, gritting his teeth. Lucy, who was just about to bite Laxus' hand, paused when she felt the dark energy disappear.

Laxus seemed to sense the same and sat up, Lucy still in his grip. The two look towards the clearing to see the white haired man staring ahead in shock.

"What happened, Brain?" his suddenly talking stick demanded. "Why did you stop the spell?"

The 'Brain' was silent, staring towards some rocks in shock.

"Wendy." he murmured.

Lucy froze. He had seen her. "Wendy." she whispered, forcing herself out of Laxus's grip to crawl towards the direction Wendy was in. Laxus scowled in annoyance, following after the young Celestial mage.

The groups were staring at Brain confused, wondering how he possible knew Wendy.

"It's her." he smirked. "The Sky Sorceress."

"Sky Sorceress?" The guild member questioned, slowly looking towards the shaking girl who was still cowering being the rock.

"Looks like I picked up something valuable. COME!" Brain ordered as a large cloud like substance swept Wendy up into the air.

"Kya!" she cried, trying to pull away, but was unable to.

"Wendy!" Charle gasped, running after the girl.

"Charle!" Wendy cried desperately, reaching out towards her friend.

The guilds gasped, trying to jump to their feet and run to Wendy's aid.

"What is he doing?" Lucy whispered in horror and anger as she stepped a bit closer.

Hoteye began to attack the guild members once more, distracting them from helping Wendy escape.

"He's capturing her, but why?" Laxus muttered, sneaking up next to Lucy to stare over her head at the scene.

"I won't let that happen." Lucy hissed lifting her hood over her nose to hide her face and running forward.

"H-Hey! Idiot!" Laxus called after her, trying to grab her, but failing. Laxus hissed something under his breath before he ran after Lucy, pulling his own hood a little lower.

Lucy ran forward, surprising Gray as she ran past him. "Who?" he gasped, looking over his shoulder at her. Wendy had tried to grab Charle, but instead grabbed Happy, who was yelling at Natsu to save him.

"Happy!" Natsu called. He froze though when he saw a hooded girl run up from the forest, and reach out to Wendy.

"Wendy!" Lucy yelled. Natsu's eyes widened. _That voice... It sounds so familiar... Who does it belong to though?_ As Natsu thought more, he realized that the hooded girl was the same one he had seen earlier. The one who smelled a little bit like Vanilla. Though her scent seemed different now. It was more of a dirt and Blueberry smell then vanilla.

The groups gasped as Lucy lunged forward, grabbing Wendy's other hand. Charle's eyes widened at the sight of Lucy. "Blondie." she whispered in shock, still flying to catch up with Wendy.

"Lu-" Wendy yelped as they were pulled back, disappearing into the air.

_"Lu?_" Natsu thought, stumbling to his feet. Was that her name?

"That idiot!" Laxus gasped as they vanished, stepping out of the clearing behind a tree. Now he would have to find and rescue them, wouldn't he? Laxus groaned, knowing full well he couldn't just leave them. The Blondie would kill him in his sleep if he did. So he had to save her…. he just had to.

Brain, who was momentarily shocked by Lucy's sudden arrival quickly snapped out of it, continuing his spell from earlier and firing a large spell towards the group. "I no longer have business with you scum, leave my sight!" he yelled.

Laxus was about to help the guild members when he saw Jura, who had been supposedly defeated, appear from the bushes. Using his magic, he summoned a large earth like structure to protect everyone. Laxus flinched ducking behind the tree as the spell hit, causing a large explosion. After the explosion had cleared, Laxus peeked his head out from behind the tree to see that everyone was safe, and already thanking Jura.

"Wendy!" Charle cried when she saw that the Oracion Seis members had fled.

"Those cowards are gone!" Natsu yelled angrily.

He was correct, Oracion Seis was gone, as were Happy, Wendy, and Lucy.

Laxus sighed. "Great... just great. Those idiots better be all right…." Laxus grittier his teeth. "They better."

**Well, sorry for the long delay. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Thanks to Skymia, I got to add a little romance in this chapter. ^_^ Thanks Symia and WT82! I've noticed though, most of my chapters are made up of my replying to everyones reviews…. weird. Oh well though, it's worth it in my opinion ^_^**

**Sin of the Fall: **We so do! That would be awesome if that happened! :D

**Chrys Stone: **Stupid Natsu. He could have made up with her right there and then if he had just realized it was her. Well… Laxus probably would have punched him in the face if he tried to get close to her though. Hehe ^_^

**SierraPaige: **He almost recognized her ^_^ But Natsu is just a little too dim to realize. Don't worry though, he'll get close to finding out the truth. Just you wait. ^_^**Emil C:**

**MintLeafon: **I think I would have punched Laxus too. I mean, to just throw some dirt at me. -_- That would have been bad…. for him.

**oniwuufu:** I appreciate all my viewers! It is because of all you that I feel happy to continue this story and try my best every chapter. ^_^

**moonshine86: **I like the romance between Laxus and Lucy as well. ^_^ Thank you for the support and I appreciate the review, not matter which chapter you review on or how often you review. ^_^

**queenJx: **Thanks! I hope you enjoy this chapter too.

**Princess Happy: **Sorry for the wait, I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it.

**Stara-chi: **Thanks! It makes me happy to hear you say that.

**IrisWhiteDreyar: **(Hehe, I like your username. ^_^) Lucy will probably be very shocked, yet relived once she learns the truth. ^_^

**Footster26: **I will keep the fight between Angel and Lucy, just with a bit of a difference since Lucy is stronger now. ^_^

**kirana:46: **I did up-date! I'm glad you liked the chapter!

**Namikaze360: **Sorry for the wait. Lucy will fight Angel alone, and as for Laxus…. who knows (Evil smile) There will definitely be more LucyXLaxus moments, especially in the next few chapters. ^_^

**rayaisaninjaa: ***blush* Awe, thanks. No one has ever said that before. In all honestly, I still think I have plenty of room to improve. Maybe add more detail to my work and such. I'm improving bit by bit though. ^_^ Thanks for the review.

**Bunannza: **I understand. Sometimes I'm too lazy to log in too .^_^ Thanks for the review anyway

**CarolinSama: **Natsu is in fact an idiot. *nods* Sorry for the wait, and don't worry, the Angel fight will come soon. ^_^

**Summing up the Stars: **Sorry for the wait, hope you enjoyed this chapter as well. ^_^

**YhenCay: **Sorry for the delay, but I worked really hard on this chapter. ^_^ Thank you for your supports as a viewer and a writer. ^_^

**lime00toaster00cat: ***Blush* Thank you for the review! I'm honored. It makes me really happy to hear you say that.

**Ashiira: **Your english is fine, I completely understood. Thank you for the review and I hope you continue to read my story ^_^

**hayba: **Your english is fine, don't worry about it. ^_^ Thank you for the compliments, they really inspire me to continue. ^_^ I swore to finish this story to the end, no matter what!

**hinata3487: **It's fine. I'm just glad you review in general. ^_^

**Lost Canvas: **I did in fact feel like my last chapter was a little short. I tried to make it longer this time. ^_^ I really enjoy hearing your reviews. It's nice to hear someone comment on a lot of different things that happened. Laxus is adorable, isn't he. ^_^

**michu: **Thanks for the review! I love the LaLu couple idea. At first when I was thinking of this story, I wasn't so sure how to make it happen, but then I thought more into Lucy's and Laxus's characters (After leaving Fairy Tail) and the idea just came to me.

**chacra: **I always freak out my parents whenever I write a new chapter. Especially if it has a romance type scene in it. Then I start chuckling weirdly saying "How cute!" My parents think I'm going insane. 0.0 And dirt is always the solution! At least in Laxus' mind anyway.

**Chloeandderek: **I updated as soon as I was able, I hope you don't mind the wait! I also hoped you enjoyed this chapter. ^_^

**Loveee3: **You re-read it? That makes me so happy! :D Thank you so much for the review!

**ShinningStellar: **I do enjoy a good cliff hanger, they leave me wanting more. ^_^

**AnisRocks: **I love the LaLu pairing too and I'm so glad that so many people enjoy it was well!

**xXxDarkShadowWolfxXx: **I'm hoping I don't go off Laxus' character too much actually. That's my biggest worry, that I completely go off from his actual personality. I think I'm doing okay at it right now, but I'm not sure. I haven't seen enough of his new personality (After leaving Fairy Tail) in the manga/Anime to be sure.

**RebeccaUlquiorraCifer23: **I may be wrong, (Which could very well be possible since I'm not good with names) but I think this is the first time I've ever replied to your review. If it isn't I am deeply sorry for the confusion. Thank you for your review, and if it is your first time, SUPER thank you! I always enjoy when new people come and read my story ^_^

**MirageIceDragonSlayer:** *blush* Geez, you guys are all awesome. My stories really aren't THAT good. I still have a long way to go, but you guys are so encouraging. Shows me just how awesome people of this world can be. ^_^

**shiro-chan63: **Next chapter, up and ready! hope you enjoyed it, sorry for the wait!

**bloocharm:** No, don't cry! *Blush* World wide known? It's not that good, really. There are a lot of mistakes and stuff. I'm not that amazing. Thank you though! Your comments really…. truly, make me feel super happy. ^_^

**jasmine831: **I'm glad you liked it, and I hope you like this chapter too. ^_^

**jenny14: **I'll update my other stories soon, promise! I just wanted to update this one first. ^_^

**mythologyfreakgirl: **I updated as soon as I was able, I hope you enjoy

**Hachibukai: **Don't worry, I understand about getting busy. I actually had a hockey tournament this weekend and barely had time to put this chapter up. I'm glad I was able though. ^_^

**dark: **Thank you for your review, I'm glad you liked it. ^_^

**Future Shining Star: **Update complete! :D

**Fairedenale: **Dysfunctional relationship does sort of work for Lucy and Laxus, hehe. Thanks! I'm super glad you like this story.

**Rosella6199: **I have been trying to improve each chapter. Add more detail, make sure spelling is correct (I've been getting help for that, hehe) And its all been worth it. I've been using my new thesaurus and dictionary too. They help a lot. ^_^

**SakuraTreeLover: **It's okay about the late review. Just getting a review in general makes me happy. ^_^

**ninachan: **Thank you for the review! I'm glad you like this story and I may think about you suggestion (Kehehe! …Sorry…. weird laughter moment there)

**Kurieita: **Sorry for the delay! Hope you like this chapter!

**Skymia: **Thank you Skymia! You really helped me get a little bit deeper into Laxus' and Lucy's relationship. ^_^ And of course spelling as well.

**WT82: **Thank you for your help buddy, you gave me a lot of great ideas! I really appreciate it!


	19. The companions Lu and Ernie?

The clearing was silent, the thought of defeat still present in everyone's minds. The plan had backfired completely, and one of their own had even been captured.

Gray scowled, sitting up to rub the back of his neck. "I wasn't the only one who saw that girl, right?" he asked, remembering the hooded girl he had seen as she ran passed him, grabbing a hold of Wendy.

"I saw her." Lyon nodded after thanking Jura once more.

"As did I." Erza said softly. Was it the hooded girl who had thrown the rock and saved her?

"Come everyone; bathe in my pain-relieving perfume!" Ichiya proclaimed, opening the bottle for the perfume to spread.

"What a magnificent fragrance!" Sherry sighed dreamily, letting the perfume envelop her.

The Blue Pegasus members began to cheer for Ichiya, who smirked.

"They kidnapped… both Wendy and Happy." Natsu hissed, rising to his feet. "Where are they? "

"Natsu!" Gray yelled angrily, trying to stop the fire mage. Just as Natsu was about to disappear down the clearing, his scarf was grabbed backward, causing him to gag and fall to the ground.

Charle, who currently had her wings out, floated over Natsu with her arms crossed.

"Wings?" Gray gasped, staring up at Charle in awe.

The rest of the guild members could only stare at Charle in shock.

"This magic is called Era." Charle explained to the Liama Scale and Blue Pegasus members.

"You're the same as Happy." Natsu said blankly, staring up at Charle.

Charle completely ignored Natsu's comment and continued to speak. "Although I am worried about Wendy and the other two, we can't just blindly charge towards the enemy."

"Just as Charle said, the enemy is much stronger than we thought." Jura nodded.

"Yes." Erza agreed. "We must work together to take down this enemy. This is not the time to argue."

The guild members nodded.

"We need all the help we can get." Charle added, causing the guilds to look at her confused. Charle turned towards the trees, scowling. "I know you're there, so come out!" she called. "The idiot blonde girl already gave it away!"

"You mean the hooded girl?" Sherry questioned, not sure whom Charle was calling out to.

Laxus, who had currently been hiding behind a tree, sighed. "Stupid cat." he hissed, stepping out into the clearing to let his presence be known.

"You!" Gray gasped.

"You're the man from before." Hibiki nodded, staring at Laxus in shock.

"You followed us?" Lyon demanded.

Laxus scowled, though you could only see his mouth due to his hood. "My…" Laxus paused. "Companion was worried about Wendy and wished to follow you all in case you needed assistance. She jumped out to try and save Wendy, but ended up being taken as well." Laxus said coldly, his voice slightly deeper than normal.

"Why didn't you come sooner?" Charle demanded, flying towards Laxus, prepared to scratch his eyes out.

"Don't yell at me, cat." Laxus growled.

"At least Lu is with Wendy." Natsu said, rising to his feet once more.

"Lu?" Laxus and Charle questioned softly. Realization struck Laxus quickly. Wendy had called out Lucy's name, but had not been able to finish. Natsu, only hearing the 'Lu' part, must have assumed that was Lucy's name. Laxus held back a smirk. This could work to his advantage. "Yeah." Laxus quickly agreed.

"Lu was her name, how magnificent." Ichiya cooed, spreading his arms out.

Laxus frowned slightly. "I will not be involved in your mission; I only wish to save my comrade." Laxus announced.

"And Wendy!" Charle butted in.

Laxus sighed. "And the girl."

"And Happy!" Natsu bellowed angrily.

Laxus sighed, "Including the blue cat." Laxus paused, never having asked this before. "I will ask for your… assistance, since we share the same goal at the moment. Besides, you technically owe Lu a debt."

"Since when?" Natsu demanded.

"I'm pretty sure Titania knows the answer to that." Laxus smirked, folding his arms.

Erza's eyes widened at the memory. Oracion Seis' snake would have bitten her if not for the rock. Now that she thought about it, the rock had come from the trees, where the hooded man standing before her was.

"The rock?" Erza questioned softly.

"Yes, it was because of Lu that you are not injured anymore then you are now." Laxus nodded.

Erza looked down at her hands, frowning. "Then I do in fact owe this so called 'Lu' a debt." Erza said sternly. "I shall help you in rescuing her. First though, I must ask your name."

Laxus frowned, knowing this question would come up. Though it didn't matter to him if they found out his true identity or not, he still knew it would cause a bit of trouble if it was revealed. For the time being, it would be better for no one, besides Charle, to know the truth.

"His name is Ernie." Charle announced before Laxus could give an answer.

Laxus flinched, anger growing inside him. What was with that name? Who said the stupid cat could name him? Laxus growled at Charle, knowing full well she would not have been able to see his look.

"Ernie?" Lyon, Gray, and Natsu all questioned at the same time. Natsu covered his mouth to stop himself from laughing.

"T-That's so lame." Gray chuckled, covering his own mouth.

Laxus growled in anger, the feeling of punching those stupid Fairy Tail mages growing stronger and stronger as the seconds went by.

"Well Ernie, we shall assist you as much as we can in rescuing your companion Lu, and we hope that you will also assist in stopping Oracion Seis before they can cause more damage." Jura said sternly, approaching Laxus.

Laxus nodded, folding his arms.

"Great, now how about you take off your hood." Natsu grinned.

"I'd rather not." Laxus said coldly, causing Natsu to flinch.

"Why not?" Natsu demanded angrily, fire appearing inside of his mouth.

"Ernie's privacy is his own; we have no right to pry." Ichiya announced, sparkles appearing around his head. Laxus took a quick step away from Jura, scowling in distaste.

"It would help us trust you a bit." Sherry nodded thoughtfully.

"Well I don't really trust any of you." Laxus announced, folding his arms.

"You, I cannot love." Sherry looked away, pouting as she flicked her hair over her shoulder.

"Who said I wanted you to?" Laxus muttered. After a small pause, Laxus turned to stare at all the guild members. "Right now, your goal and mine are the same."

"Though we don't know where they are going, we know Wendy is important to them." Charle nodded, floating above Laxus' head.

"So in other words…" Lyon mumbled.  
>"This has turned into a rescue mission." Erza frowned, determination filling her eyes.<p>

"To save Wendy, Happy and Lu…" Gray stated.

"In order to defeat Oracion Seis!" Natsu growled.

"Let's go!" Everyone cheered, pumping his or her fists towards each other.

As the group began to make a plan for their next step, Laxus paused at the sight of something sprawled out on the ground. Glancing at the guild members, who were currently distracted, Laxus reached down and snatched the object off the ground. Holding it out in his hand, Laxus examined the piece of cloth closely.

It was the dark blue ribbon that was used to hold up the hair on the right side of Lucy's head. It must of fallen off when she ran out to Wendy.

Laxus carefully ran his finger over the ribbon, frowning. "Lucy." he thought softly. Glancing at the guilds, he quickly tied the ribbon to his wrist, a new feeling of determination filling his heart._  
><em>

**-Happy, Wendy, and Lucy (Aka, Lu)-**

Brain let out a low chuckle as he threw his three hostages to the ground.

Happy and Wendy cried out as their backs hit the wall, slumping down to their knees.

"Couldn't you be a bit less rough?" Lucy muttered, rubbing the back of her head as she hit the ground.

Brain frowned at Lucy.

"Hey! Don't be so rough with them, they're just girls!" Happy yelled angrily, pointing at Brain.

"Happy!" Wendy gasped when Brain reached out, grabbing Happy by his face and lifting the poor cat off the ground.

"Let him go!" Wendy begged. Wendy couldn't help but fell terrified, yet angered by how Oracion Seis was treating her comrades. Even if Happy was a part of Fairy Tail… he didn't deserve this.

Lucy growled, reaching for her whip threateningly.

"Hmph." Brain scoffed, chucking Happy to the ground.

"Kyah." Happy groaned in pain, lying in front of Wendy, swirls in his eyes.

Lucy frowned, slowly reaching out to touch Happy's face. She hesitated, memories rushing through her mind.

When Lucy had seen Natsu, she froze. Either in fear or shock, she wasn't sure, maybe both.

Yet, when she looked at Happy, she felt nothing but worry and concern. Maybe it was because she had no memories of Happy yelling at her, or beating her.

Now that she thought about it, Happy hadn't been there that night. Where had he gone?  
>"H-Happy." Lucy whispered softly, bringing the tiny form into her arms, cradling his head.<p>

Wendy stared at Lucy in shock, as if just remembering she was there.

"Seems we've picked up a few strays." Cobra laughed, stuffing his hands in his pockets to smirk at the three.

"Brain." The mage known as Racer, intervened. "Who is this girl?" Racer looked towards Wendy with a confused frown.

Lucy glared at the Oracion Seis members, crawling in front of Wendy to shield her protectively as she cradled Happy.

"Yeah." Cobra nodded. "Does she have something to do with Nirvana?" Cobra began to pet his purple snake, Cerberus, as it slithered around him.

"I can't see it myself." Angel added.

Lucy didn't like their attitude. Talking like they weren't even there, it was rude!

"I see!" Hoteye suddenly exclaimed. "We can sell her and make a profit!"

Lucy growled. Like she would ever let them do that!

"This girl is a user of sky magic." Brain explained over his shoulder. "That is to say, Healing Magic."

"Healing magic?" Racer gasped.

"A lost magic…?" Angel murmured.

"A brat like this?" Cobra questioned.

"That does sound valuable." Hoteye smirked, nodding.

Lucy narrowed her eyes, angered by this whole group. Especially the one who was sleeping! Who sleeps at a time like this?

Cobra suddenly gasped, causing most eyes to turn to him. "You don't mean-!"

"Precisely." Brain smirked. "We will revive _'him_'."

Lucy blinked. Who were they talking about?

"I-I won't help you bad people!" Wendy exclaimed over Lucy's shoulder. Lucy smiled a bit at Wendy's sudden burst of courage, oddly feeling very proud of the young mage.

Brain turned to Wendy, smirking wickedly. "_He_ will be revived, be sure of it." With that, Brain turned back to his minions. "Racer, bring 'him' here."

"That's a long way." Racer pointed out. "It'll take me an hour."

"That will do." Brain nodded.

"Yes I see, if we have 'him', Nirvana is as good as ours!" Cobra chuckled.

Lucy looked back at Wendy, taking the chance to make sure she was okay. As the Oracion Seis discussed their next move, Lucy whispered to Wendy.

"You okay?"

Wendy nodded slowly. "W-What are you doing here though? I thought you left." Wendy tilted her head, trying to see Lucy's face from under her hood.

Lucy grinned. "I couldn't bring myself to leave. Besides, I swore to myself that I would protect you."

Wendy's eyes widened. "Lucy." She thought softly, smiling at the older mage. "W-What do we do though?"

"We have to get out of here." Lucy frowned, glancing back down at Happy. "Here, can you hold him for me?"

Wendy nodded, taking Happy into her arms.

"He should wake up soon. Then he can fly you out of here. He has wings like Charle." Lucy explained softly, glancing over her shoulder at Oracion Seis, who were still chatting.

"B-But, what about you?" Wendy protested.

"Don't worry. I'll hold them off." Lucy smiled.

The two paused when Happy shifted, opening his eyes.

"Wah?" he muttered, sitting up.

"Happy." Wendy smiled softly. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Aye." Happy smiled weakly. He paused, staring at Lucy. "You're that girl from before, who are-"

Lucy put her finger to her lips. "Shh." She scolded. "Keep your voice down."

Happy placed his paws over his mouth nodding. "Sorry, Lu."

"Lu?" Lucy questioned. Lucy and Wendy exchanged a look of confusion before looking back at Happy. Slowly thinking back to when she had first grabbed Wendy. Wendy had only been able to call out the first two letters of her name, 'Lu'.

Lucy mentally smirked. She could use this to advantage! She felt more comfortable being around Fairy Tail when they didn't know who she was anyway, so what difference would it make if she mixed up her name a bit?

It wasn't exactly lying; it was just like… making up a new nickname for herself at that very moment.

"I-It's okay." Lucy nodded gradually, trying to make her voice sound more, deeper and serious.

Lucy glanced over her shoulder at Oracion Seis once more, narrowing her eyes.

"Ah, whatever. Let's go search." Cobra shrugged.

Angel smirked. "Feel like having a little bet? Whoever finds Nirvana first gets…"

"One million Jewels? I'm in!" …You see!" Hoteye exclaimed.

Cobra sighed at his comrades. "Oh, just come on already."

With that, the four comrades left, leaving Lucy to deal with Brain, and the boy sleeping in the corner.

"Nirvana?" Lucy whispered.  
>"Just what kind of magic is it?" Wendy asked softly. "This, 'Nirvana'?"<p>

Brain turned to them once more, smirking. "A magic to make light and dark, change places with one another."

Lucy's eyes widened. "Switch places?" Lucy could only imagine what sort of problems that type of magic could cause.

**-Laxus-**

Laxus scowled for the 27th time that day. This forest was too big for his liking. Where in the world did those two brats go anyway?

After the plan to save Lucy, Wendy and Happy was made, the groups had split up in hopes of covering more ground.

The Lamia scale members had quickly ran off, Ichiya running after them, trying to drag Erza with him. She quickly refused and agreed to search along side with Hibiki, who seemed very pleased by the notion. The other two Blue Pegasus members agreed to try the east.

Laxus had decided to stay with Charle, and was followed by Gray and Natsu. They decided to head North.

At least, Laxus thought this was North, it might have been West.

"If Lucy was here, she would probably know which way to go." Laxus thought earnestly. "She always seems to know where to go."

"So, if she's the Dragon Slayer of the sky…" Natsu paused, looking towards Charle. "What does she eat?" Natsu asked curiously.

Charle glared at Natsu as they ran. "Air." She answered coldly.

"Is it tasty?" Natsu grinned.

"Who knows?" Charle shrugged.

"Isn't that just like breathing?" Gray questioned.

"I asked the same thing." Laxus muttered as he ran beside Gray. Gray nodded in approval.

"So, why did Wendy join on this mission?" Natsu asked, knowing that she must have had to say 'Yes' to be a part of this mission.

Charle, who seemed deeply annoyed at Natsu's many questions, scowled. "She had many reasons; the main one was to meet you."

"Me?" Natsu blinked.

"Though, I'm pretty sure her reason has changed." Charle's scowl turned fierce, glaring at Natsu with such fury it made him flinch.  
>"Why… is that?" he asked softly.<br>"She wanted to meet you to ask if you had seen the Dragon who had taught her Dragon Slayer Magic. Apparently the Dragon disappeared seven years ago." Charle continued, not answering his last question

Natsu's eyes widened. "Was it the seventh of July?" he demanded.

"I don't know that answer to that." Charle announced. "Wendy's goal now is to defeat Oracion Seis. When we find her though, stay away from her." Charle ordered.

"Eh?" Natsu scowled. "What's with that attitude?"

"I don't want people like 'you' hurting her." Charle hissed.  
>"What is that suppose to mean?" Gray demanded, running up next to Charle.<p>

Laxus remained silent. In all honestly, he wanted to yell at them as well. He wanted to make them pay, yet his past memories of Fairy Tail held him back. He was certain Lucy wouldn't want him to do anything rash either.

Before Charle could say anymore she froze at the sight before her. "W-What is this?" she gasped.

"The trees are black." Laxus murmured, staring ahead in surprise.

"That's creepy." Gray commented dryly.

Laxus narrowed his eyes at the sound of voices behind him.

"That's the influence of Nirvana, ain't that right, Zatou-Niisan?" One giggled.

"Gyahoh! It's such a terrible magic, it's making the land itself die, Gatou-Niisan!" the other agreed.

"Who's there!" Gray yelled.

The team watched as several Dark guild members landed on the ground in front of them, all laughing menacingly.

"We're surrounded." Charle gasped.

"Whoa!" Natsu gasped at the sight of a few. "There are two monkeys!"

"That's what you're concerned about?" Laxus muttered.

"We're Naked Mummy, a guild under the Oracion Seis." One explained.

"Gyahoh! Let's have some fun!" The leader of the enemy laughed.  
>"There were more than just six enemies?" Charle whispered. "This isn't good."<p>

"Suits me just fine." Gray smirked.

"Yeah!" Natsu cheered, jumping up and swinging his arms around, imitating the monkeys. "Just fine by us!"

"What are you two talking about!" Charle snapped angrily.  
>"It's fine." Laxus chuckled. "We need a good workout before the actual battles begin." Laxus rolled his arm over his head, stretching it. "If you're scared, go hide behind that tree." Laxus smirked.<br>"I'm not scared!" Charle yelled angrily at the older mage, who scowled at the high-pitched tone.

"You're gone tell us where to find the enemy base." Gray announced.  
>"We're coming for you, Happy, Wendy!" Natsu smirked.<p>

"Looking down on us, are you brats?" one scowled.

"You're dead meat." Natsu growled.  
>"What's wrong with these mages?" Charle blinked. "Do they even understand the situation?"<br>"Of course not." Laxus said calmly. "What other options do we have though, besides…"

"Barrel right through!" Natsu and Gray yelled, charging forward.

Charle scowled. "I guess you're right." Charle looked up to Laxus. "Aren't you going to join them?"  
>"Those two may be idiots, but it would still be troublesome if they were to start questioning my magic. Might as well just let them handle this one." Laxus explained. "I'll be going ahead."<p>

"Eh?" Charle questioned. "What do you mean?"

"I'm be leaving first. It would be best if I found Lu…" Laxus caught himself, just in case Natsu heard her name. "If I found Lu first. Don't worry, I'll find them and bring them back." Laxus finished before running into the crowd, punching and kicking people out of his way, making a clear path to an exit.

Charle watched him go, knowing full well he was right. She was only glad that Gray and Natsu didn't notice his departure.

"Make sure you bring them back, stupid mage." Charle whispered softly after Laxus' disappearing form into the forest.

**Well, here we are. I tried to make this chapter a little longer then the last 2. I hope you all enjoyed it. ^_^**

**Symia: **Thank you so much for all your help! I really, really, appreciate all your hard work. I really feel like my writing had improved because of you. ^_^

**Bloody.5507: **I know! He's bound to realize at this rate. ^_^

**NatsuxLucy FTW: **Thanks for the review, I'm glad you like the story. I hope you like this chapter too. At first I thought about it just being a brother sister relationship too, but then all of sudden it turned into more... not sure what happened or what my brain was thinking... But I find its better to just 'go with the flow' ^_^**  
><strong>

**Princess Happy:** The plan to save Lucy, Wendy, and Happy was formed, thats what happened next! :D Glad you liked the last chapter, hopefully you liked this one too. ^_^

**IloveCelestialIce: **Awe geez, thanks. I liked how the fight scene in the last chapter turned out as well. In all honestly I wasn't really a LaLu fan at the beginning. Then suddenly this idea hit me for this story and I though, "Why not?" If I got bad reviews, oh well. I really didn't expect this story to be as popular as it is. I was shocked how I haven't gotten 1 single review saying how my writing stinks. I usually get those every once and a while, but I haven't gotten a single one for this story. 0.0 I'm still shocked just thinking about it.**  
><strong>

**Lost Canvas: **Yeah I felt like the last chapter was short too! When I was writing I felt like it was pretty long, but after I re-read it I said "Huh, this seems shorter then before." I don't know why, but it turned out that way. Weird, isn't it? It would be a pretty awesome highlight if Laxus kissed her to shut her up... Kya! just thinking about it is awesome. I wont have him kiss her just yet though. ^_^ Sister or Lover? The lover would make it sweet yet hilarious all at the same time. I can see it now! (ha! It would be classic ^_^)

**MirageIceDragonSlayer: **Natsu is a clueless idiot, yes. (nods) Sorry I didn't update very quickly. I have lots of tests and stuff going on at school. ^_^' I love Kung fu Panda! Master Oogway was so cool. I love his saying. "Today is a gift, that is why it is called a present." Greatest line ever. I live by that saying! And so far, it's worked out for me pretty well. ^_^

**BlackAngel'sWrath: **Natsu is pretty dense. I'm pretty sure he is always dense, except when he's in a middle of a fight and his friend is hurt. Then all of the sudden her grows all serious and smart (ish) ^_^**  
><strong>

**IrisWhiteDreyar: **Long live LaLu! :D**  
><strong>

**oniwuufu:** I feel like a weirdo whenever I update this story. Cause see, I always start squealing saying "Finally, it's done!" and my mom stares at me weirdly. 0.0 I guess Fanfiction can do that to you.

**MintLeafon: **The snake just got taken down town... by a rock! Thrown by a 17 year old girl. Nothing better then that.

**Neko-Tiara: **I will continue this story to the very end! No matter what! (Though... who knows when this story will end... oh wait, I do. I might just split the who plot in two. I might just stop this story after the Oracion Seis battle, then make squeal or something since this story is getting a little long... who knows.)**  
><strong>

**Footster26: **Laxus to the rescue! (Lucy: I'm holding out for a hero!) I wish I could throw a rock that hard too. Well, I can throw a rock pretty hard, I just can't aim. -_-**  
><strong>

**Chiharu Himeji: **Sorry for the wait, hope you don't mind. I updated as fast as I was able.

**WendySkyMaiden: **Loki and Virgo will be coming into the story soon. Trust me, there is going to tears, rage, and the Lion's fury! ^_^

**Hachibukai: **Thanks for the support. We got 2nd place in state, one the lower level though. (Super joyness!)

**Xx-Confused-Angel-xX:** I feel this story is a bit different too. I'm glad how this story has turned out so far though. ^_^**  
><strong>

**61wisampa: **I love it when Lucy and Laxus bicker to! It's all right if you just want to review for this chapter, I understand completely. 18 chapters is a lot to review on 0.0 One review is enough though. ^_^**  
><strong>

**AnisRocks: **Anonymous reviews are fine! I hope you get your laptop soon. Thanks for the review ^_^**  
><strong>

**RebeccaUlquiorraCifer23: **Ah I see (nods vigorously) *Blush* I'm not that good of the writer, I'm sure you write just as well as me, if not better.

**chacra: **Laxus is super cute! I could just cuddle him like he was a giant teddy bear (fan girl squeal)

**bunannza: **Lucy always makes things more interesting. Cause she's Lucy. And with Laxus by her side, they can do anything, Mwahahah!**  
><strong>

**suikodengel: **Ooh! New reader! Welcome, welcome! Thank you! I would cry too if Lucy choice someone else over Laxus. Cause he's... he's Laxus! I mean come on! You would have to be stupid not to pick him! Cause he's adorable, in his own way!**  
><strong>

**Sin of the Fallen: **Though Laxus doesn't like the idea, yes, he has to team up with idiots to save Lucy. -_- Poor Laxus.**  
><strong>

**SakuraTreeLover: **Thanks for the support. I will write for as long as I live!**  
><strong>

**Sweetgirl91: **No! Don't cry. Though I'm flattered by your comment, don't cry! I always cry when ever I see others cry. it's weird I know, but I just can't help it.**  
><strong>

**Chloeandderek:** Snake+Lucy= Rock in the face. T-T That is how its done. ^_^**  
><strong>

**xXRedPokerGirlxX: **Hi SierraPaige/xXRedPokerGirlxX Thanks for the review. I'm glad you liked the chapter.

**catrina7077: **Thanks! ^_^ I hope you enjoyed the update!

**YhenCay: **I tried my best to shock everyone in this chapter with an unexpected twist. I'm glad to know it worked a bit. ^_^ and don't worry, there is no pressure at all. I take my time with _everything_ I do.

**Aoi Kamikaze: **Yeah, I had a lot of spelling errors at the beginning of this story, but I've tried my best to not have so many towards my latest chapters. ^_^

**Ashiira: **Yeah it was a little short, wasn't it? I tried to make this one longer. ^_^**  
><strong>

**Veraozao: **Thank you! It makes me happy to hear you say that!**  
><strong>

**ShinningStellar: **Here's another "Ohmygosh! What happened next." moment for ya. ^_^**  
><strong>

**Rosella6199: **Thanks. I've been trying really hard to add as much detail in emotion into my latest chapters.**  
><strong>

**Lucy Ashley from Fairy Tail: **I'll let you know something secretive. Sort of a small-ish preview to the next chapter. The next chapter I will skip a whole lot of scenes to the point Lucy, Wendy, and Charle have escaped and Lucy has a bit of a flash back to explain what happened with Jellal and how they got away. ^_^ I can't tell you anything more from that, but I'm just letting you know I took a bit of your advice.**  
><strong>

**Star5258:** I might in fact write a sequel to this story, but it all depends on when I end this story.

**Lady Nosila: **^-^ Thanks!

**Stara-chi: **I am a very cruel person! Mwahah! Cliff hangers are always fun to write though. ^_^**  
><strong>

**Namikaze360: **It's okay if your review is late. ^_^ There was a large plot twist in the last chapter I agree. I'm glad you liked it. ^_^**  
><strong>

**kagome250: **I updated as fast as I was able!**  
><strong>

**Kurieita: **Sorry for the shortness, I tried to make it up in this chapter.**  
><strong>

**Lime Toaster Cat: **LuLa LaLu, its doesn't matter. It's both the same thing. ^_^ I'm glad you liked my story Your making my blush. ^_^**  
><strong>

**fellxfan: **Thanks so much! I'm flattered. ^_^


	20. A promise to see each other again

"How did you possibly get lost? It's right there in front of you!" the young celestial mage snapped, pointing towards the large black beam of light that shot out from the ground and towards the sky.

At the moment, the group of four was walking towards the beam that erupted from the ground only minutes before.

Laxus, who was currently carrying an unconscious Wendy and Happy on his back, scowled. "The forest looks the same from every angle. Besides, we wouldn't even be in this situation if it wasn't for you."

Lucy paused to glare at Laxus, folding her arms. "You can't blame me for going off my instincts. And it doesn't matter if the forest looks the same; there is only ONE beam of light." Lucy pouted.

"Yeah, I sort of can, and shut up." Laxus remarked, stepping past Lucy to walk ahead.

Lucy reluctantly followed, a slight sigh escaping her lips.

"Stupid Laxus." she thought sourly. Lucy couldn't help but be confused. After what just happened, anyone would be.

After being captured by Oracion Seis, the so-called Racer had brought a coffin to them. It seemed they intended to use Wendy to resurrect someone.

That person was Jellal Fernandes, Erza's old friend and enemy.

To think he was alive this whole time…and survived the explosion at the Tower of Heaven! Though judging from the state he was in, you could say he was practically dead.

Surprisingly enough, Wendy said she knew Jellal - that in the past, he saved her.

Lucy did not harbor anger at the younger mage for reviving Jellal and bringing him back. She would have done the same thing if she were in Wendy's shoes.

Lucy looked ahead, smiling a bit at Wendy's peaceful face. After all she had done and been through, Wendy deserved a little rest.

Shortly after reviving Jellal, the lightning mage in front of her appeared.

How he possibly found them, knowing his sense of direction, Lucy would never know. Yet she couldn't deny the happiness his arrival brought her.

*Flash back*

Lucy, was on her hands and knees, staring up at Jellal in slight shock.

"Y-You're kidding me." She stuttered, slowly looking towards Wendy.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" Wendy sobbed, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Don't be." Lucy mumbled back, her attention turning back to Jellal, who stared down at his hands.

There was something about his look that gave Lucy a bad feeling. It was like he was confused and panicked, but not able to understand why.

"Finally." Brain cackled, stepping towards the blue haired mage. Jellal slowly looked up, staring at Brain blankly. As if he was about to say something, Jellal opened his mouth, but was not able to speak.

Lucy jumped at the sound of a large explosion like sound from outside the cave. Brain frowned, motioning for Racer to go check it out.

Racer nodded before running out of the mouth of cave. Leaving the cave in silence, Lucy stared towards the cave entrance.

"The others must have found us." Happy guessed hopefully, jumping to his feet.

"The others? Thank goodness…" Wendy fell forward, hitting the ground from lack of strength.

"Wendy!" Lucy gasped, crawling over to the younger mage to lift her up into her arms. "You used too much energy, don't push yourself." Lucy scolded softly.

"S-Sorry." Wendy stuttered before her head tilted back, showing the girl had fallen unconscious. Lucy frowned, holding Wendy close as she glared towards Brain.

This was bad. How were they supposed to get away now?

Glancing around frantically, Lucy saw that her only escape was the cave entrance. There were at least three enemies, if Jellal was included, though he seemed in a bit of a daze at the moment.

After seeing Brain's abilities, it would be difficult to escape him while carrying Wendy. Then there was that boy who was sleeping in the corner. Midnight was his name if she recalled correctly. She couldn't truly count him as a threat yet since he was asleep, but would still have to keep an eye on him.

Perhaps if she distracted Brain and Jellal, if he was an enemy, she could allow Happy to fly Wendy out of here and to safety.

At the moment, that option seemed the only way to go. Tightening her grip on Wendy, Lucy scowled. That was the plan then, no doubt about it.

For some reason though, Lucy's well-constructed plan was put on hold.

Slowly looking away from the cave entrance and back to Lucy, Brain smirked.

Brain turned towards Jellal, momentarily forgetting of the 3 mages he had kidnapped. "Jella-" Brain was interrupted when Happy gasped.  
>"Someone is here!"<p>

Whirling around to the cave, Lucy expected to see Racer, but was proven wrong.

Lucy gasped. It couldn't be!

At the front of the cave entrance stood a man. His muscular arms folded over his chest as he scowled. A long black hood covered his face neatly, and swung dramatically at his feet. He was the man Lucy least expect to see, but was overjoyed nonetheless. That stupid, slave-driving, wonderful man had found them.

_Wait, did she just say wonderful? No, she couldn't have._

She didn't have time to think of this now.

Without a word, Laxus Dreyar stepped into the cave, folding his arms.

How did he get here? Had he sniffed them out? Now that Lucy thought about it, where had Racer gone?

Knowing how Laxus usually worked, he must have used the explosion to draw Racer out, then attacked. Laxus was one of the strongest mages she had met, so he must have defeated Racer quickly.

Laxus did enjoy taking out enemies in a short amount of time.

Lucy sniffed, tears forming in her eyes. "You found me."

"Who is that?" Happy squeaked, unable to understand what was going on. Lucy scrambled to her feet, running to Laxus with Wendy's limp form dangling in her arms.

Laxus stepped towards her, meeting her approach. As soon as the two were close enough, Laxus bent down, grabbing Lucy's chin with his hand. Lifting Lucy's chin up, Laxus examined her face closely.

"Are you injured?" Laxus got his answer when he saw the small scratch on Lucy's cheek. Instantly angered, Laxus brushed at the scratch carefully. Holding her chin tenderly, Laxus pressed his forehead to hers. "Sorry." He whispered.

"Huh?" Lucy blinked, her cheeks burning red.

"I'll make them pay." He swore, running his finger over her check once more, closing his eyes. "I'll never let them… hurt you again. You hear me?" Laxus opened his eyes to stare at Lucy intently.

Lucy's eyes softened a bit, nodding. "Yeah." She whispered, a single tear trickling down her cheek. Brushing the tear away, Laxus stepped forward, hiding Lucy behind him.

"Another nuisance." Brain scowled, staring at Laxus.

Jellal slowly looked up from his hands, staring at Laxus blankly.

Laxus' eyes widened in shock. "You."

"You know him too?" Happy demanded, shocked. "Does everyone know him?" Happy flew over to Lucy and Wendy, also hiding behind Laxus.

"I… guess." Lucy shrugged, rubbing the back of her head.

Jellal watched Laxus for a moment, and as if seeing no threat in him, turned to Brain, who blinked.

Raising his hand, he narrowed his eyes.

"What?" Brain gasped when the ground beneath him crumbled. He fell, quickly disappearing in the pile of rubble below and giving Jellal a chance to leave.

"He… attacked Brain?" Lucy questioned softly. Laxus' eyebrows furrowed, his arm in front of Lucy, Wendy and Happy. Laxus' glare was cold as he let Jellal pass, the girls still behind him.

Jellal glanced at Laxus as he passed, his attention lingering on Lucy for a mere moment. Happy sniffed, staring at Jellal with fear as he disappeared out of the mouth of the cave.

After a short pause of silence, Laxus lowered his arm, certain that Jellal had left.

Lucy, realizing there were finally alone, sighed a bit. "How?" Laxus glanced at her. "How did you find us?"

"It wasn't too hard." Laxus shrugged, glancing down at Wendy. "They left a clear trail to follow."

"What about Racer?" Lucy inquired.

Laxus smirked. "That snail? He said he was fast, but my lightning is fast."

Happy grinned, "Yeah! Well tank you, uh… What's your name?" Happy asked, tilting his head to see Laxus' face. Lucy flinched.

Oh no! What are they going to do?

Laxus pulled his hood down a bit more. "It's…" Laxus flinched as if not wanting to state his name. His fake name wasn't something he wanted to share either. "…Ernie." he muttered in dismay.

The cave fell silent once more. "Ernie?" Happy repeated slowly, a small smile on his face.

"Yes." Laxus nodded feebly. Laxus flinched when Happy used his paws to cover his mouth, his cheeks puffing out in laughter. Behind Happy, Lucy was doing the same. Though she had a little more difficulty because she was carrying Wendy.

Lucy bit her bottom lip, desperately trying to hold back her giggles. She couldn't let Happy know she had just learned Laxus' "name" as well.

"Lets…. go…" 'Ernie' hissed, nudging Lucy towards the cave entrance.

"Wendy is-"

"I'll carry her." Laxus offered, taking the small girl from Lucy's arms. Lucy nodded in thanks.

As the four exited the cave, Laxus looked over his shoulder at Midnight, who was still asleep. Realizing he probably wouldn't be a threat till later, Laxus continued on.

*Flash back end*

They had failed to find other members of the alliance while walking through the forest. Occasionally pausing to fight off smaller dark guilds, the group was shocked at the sudden burst of light from the ground, firing into the sky.

Deciding to head in that direction, the group set off, Laxus leading the way. Lucy soon realized that it was her mistake to let Laxus lead because ten minutes had passed, with little progress towards the beam of energy.

"What are you doing here, Ernie? Did you come to rescue Lu? Why are both of you here anyway? I thought you left." Happy questioned, flying in circles around the mages' heads, secretly trying to see their faces.

The two noticed Happy's attempts at figuring out their identities and kept their heads down.

"We came back to see if you all needed help." Lucy muttered softly.

"Then Lu got captured." Laxus added.

"And… Ernie came to save us."

"Eh?" Happy grinned. "Are you a couple or something? You're both wearing matching hoods."

"H-Hoods have nothing to do with relationships!" Lucy stuttered quickly, her face turning red. Happy giggled a bit, but paused, as if remembering something.

Lucy flinched realizing her mistake. She had to act differently around Happy, or he might realize the truth. Lucy opened her mouth to try and cover herself up, but froze at the sight before her.

Happy's tail and ears drooped, his head tilting towards the ground. "You sounded like her just now." he whispered softly, his eyes showing a deep, painful sadness that Lucy had never seen in the young cat before.

"W-Who?" she asked softly, Laxus stepping to her side, staring at Happy with a frown.

"A friend. She's missing now." Happy sniffed, rubbing at his eyes to wipe away the tears. Lucy and Laxus looked at each other, then back at the young cat.

Lucy frowned. 'Who was he talking about? Could it be- no Lucy, there is no way it's you. You're not missing, you were kicked out." Lucy thought softly.

Laxus opened his mouth to speak, probably going to ask the same question Lucy wanted to.

Before that question could be asked though, the group paused at the sound of a yell just a little to their left, near the river.

"WE'RE ON A RAFT?"

Happy gasped. "That's Natsu!" he cheered, angling towards the river.  
>"Happy, wait!" Lucy yelled, trying to make her voice sound deeper as she ran after the small cat. Laxus sighed, following after them.<p>

The group slowly came to a halt as the river came into view. As they got closer, they were shocked by the sight of Gray and Natsu standing on a raft, Gray holding a large piece of ice over Natsu's head

"Natsu!" Happy gasped.

Lucy flinched. "Crap." She muttered, reaching for her whip. Glancing at Happy, she realized he might get a clue if she used it. She didn't have time to worry about that though!

Snatching her whip off her belt, which had been safely hidden behind the hood, Lucy flicked it towards Gray, shattering the ice in his hands just as he brought it down.

Gray scowled in annoyance, looking towards the group.

"L-Lu?" Natsu stuttered from the raft, grinning.

"Don't interfere now, Lu." Gray smirked as the raft was pulled to a stop by a piece of wood in the center of the river.

"Gray, what's going on?" Happy demanded, preparing to flying over to Natsu and pull him off. Lucy grabbed his tail, stopping him.

"Wait." She ordered.

"Happy." Gray muttered. "Has the power to fly, can carry one person at a time, and is useless in battle. Information retrieval complete."

"Hey!" Happy protested.

Lucy frowned. Laxus placed Wendy under a nearby tree, approaching the river with a scowl.

"What is with you, Gray?" Happy asked softly.

"I don't think this is Gray." Lucy announced, letting go of Happy's tail. Happy looked at her, confused.

"Gray's opinion of Lu. Companion of Ernie, don't know much about her. Is a hostage of Oracion Seis, type of magic is unknown, relationship with Ernie is questionable, and has a voice similar to an old friend." Gray frowned. "Well that's not much information."

"W-What is that suppose to mean?" Lucy cried out, suddenly feeling very flustered by a few of 'Gray's' comments.

"You're not Gray at all." Laxus declared, folding his arms. "Who are you?"  
>"Not Gray?" Happy gasped.<p>

Gray smirked. "Gray's opinion of Ernie. Finds his name hilarious, doesn't know much about him, mysterious, and is only a temporary member of the alliance." Gray looked annoyed. "Not much information again."

"Who are you?" Lucy demanded.

Gray smirked once more as a cloud of smoke covered him. Lucy and Laxus' eyes widened as the smoke cleared, revealing a duplicate of Lucy.  
>"Me?" Lucy gasped.<p>

"Are you stupid? No one is going to fall for that." Laxus frowned.

"Who said I wanted you to fall for this? I just wish to see what information there is on Lu." The duplicate Lucy smirked. "Maybe even reveal her true identity." The duplicate began to reach for the hood.  
>"DON'T!" Lucy screamed, causing the duplicate to pause.<p>

Frowning, the duplicate Lucy slowly lowered her hand. There was a short pause. "I… I see. You aren't truly who you say you are, 'Lu'." The duplicate said softly.

Happy looked towards Lucy, confused. Lucy flinched, looking away.

"I see now." Everyone looked at Laxus in surprise. "You can look into one's past and copy their abilities if you take their form. That was how you were able to use Gray's Ice magic."

The duplicate Lucy nodded. "That's right, and I can see into your past very clearly, 'Lu'. As well as your magical powers. How interesting, for you to have the same type of magic as my master."

"Master?" Lucy questioned. She soon got her answer when a slender form stepped out from behind a few trees.

"That's enough! Now that Nirvana is found, we have no use for those brats!" A voice called from the trees on the other side of the river.

"Okies!" The duplicate Lucy giggled before disappearing.  
>"What's going on? I don't understand!" Happy put a paw to his head, shaking it.<p>

"Well hello there, Lu! Say hello to Angel!" the woman laughed.  
>"The girl from before..." Lucy whispered, narrowing her eyes.<p>

"You've been a naughty girl, Lu. I heard you escaped from Brain, so I decided to stop by. I see you've already met Gemi and Mini. The twin stellar spirits, Gemini."

"Stellar Spirits." Lucy realized with a gasp. This was bad. Laxus was right. Gemini was able to copy a person's appearance, abilities and thoughts! That must mean that they learned of her past with Fairy Tail. Wait, that didn't mean Angel knew about it. As long as she could stop Gemini from revealing anything, she would be fine.

"Ernie." Lucy called sternly. Laxus looked towards her, knowing full well what she intended to say.  
>"This one is mine. Take Happy and Wendy and go." Lucy commanded, stepping into the river.<p>

"B-But Lu…" Happy argued.

"I'll be fine. Go." Lucy ordered.

Lucy looked at Laxus over her shoulder. Laxus' tormented gaze stunned her. Taking her hand in his, he dropped the small lightning bolt key chain Lucy had given him into her open palm. Lucy pulled her hand back, staring at the key chain.

"W-What is this for?" she asked softly, looking back at him. Laxus pulled his sleeve up a bit, showing the dark blue ribbon that was tied around his wrist.

"You have to give that back to me." He replied. "Which means: you have to win. When you win, find me, and I'll give this back to you. Then you can give that back to me. Either way, we have to see each other again. So don't lose, stupid."

Lucy's cheeks turned pink. "L…Ernie." She caught herself, clutching the key chain tightly. With a nod and a smile she turned back to Angel, who was staring at them, confused.

"What about Natsu?" Happy asked.

"Yes Lu, what about Natsu? Just going to leave him here? Or do you intend to save him yourself?" Angel laughed as the Gemi and Mini danced around her feet.

"Of course not." Lucy felt herself smirk. With a flick of her wrist, her whip was sent towards the piece of wood that was keeping the raft in place.  
>"Wha-!" Angel gasped as the wood was broken, and Natsu's raft continued down the stream.<br>"M-Moving! W-Why!" Natsu stuttered desperately, clutching his stomach.

"What was that for?" Happy demanded.  
>"Go after him! The stream gets more intense down the river, so go now!" Lucy snapped over her shoulder as Laxus lifted Wendy into his arms.<br>"Right," he nodded, grabbing Happy by his tail and running after Natsu.  
>"Oh no you don't!" Angel yelled, stepping into the river as well, preparing to summon another spirit. Lucy snapped her whip again, hitting her in the leg.<p>

Angel yelped in pain, falling down to one knee. "You little-" she hissed, clutching her reddened leg and glaring at Lucy.

"I'm your opponent. So I suggest you stay focused." Lucy hissed, pulling her whip back, prepared to strike again.

Angel's sulk turned into a smirk. "All right, if that's how you wish to play, then so be it." Angel lifted one of her keys smugly.

Lucy glanced towards her comrades, who had just disappeared into the forest after Natsu.

Lucy let out a relived sigh. "If it's a celestial battle you want, then let's get started!" Lucy held her arm out, causing her hood to fall back as she revealed her keys.

Pausing, she hooked the key chain to her belt, smiling down at it. "I'm warning you. I won't lose!" Lucy proclaimed, causing Angel to smirk with arrogance. "It's been a while since I've been able to use my spirits in a battle. I'm sure most of them will be happy to stretch a little." Lucy lifted up one of her keys, swinging it around.

"Hmm?" Angel cooed, staring at Lucy as she turned at the key. "Open, gate of the Archer, Sagittarius!" Lucy yelled as the horse like man appeared in front of her.

"Hello, hello. What can I do for you?" he inquired, saluting towards Lucy. He smiled brightly towards Lucy, glad to be summoned by her after so long. "I see you're better, that is a relief, hello, hello." He nodded.

Lucy nodded. "Yes, thank you for your concern, Sagittarius." She smiled back, nodding as well. "At the moment, she is our enemy." Lucy announced, pointing towards Angel, who had placed both hands on her hips with an annoyed scowl.

Sagittarius nodded thoughtfully, placing an arrow on his bow, ready to fire.

"Going to fight? About time." Angel lifted a few of her keys as well.

-Laxus-

"Ernie, are you sure it was okay to leave Lu behind?" Happy asked softly, flying beside the older mage as they ran after Natsu's raft.

"She'll be fine. She's much stronger than most realize; trust me I know." Laxus sounded a bit annoyed at the last comment, punctuating it with a scowl.

Happy stared at him, clearly seeing the scowl through the hood. "Is she your girlfriend?" Happy squealed with a knowing smile.

Laxus almost tripped, whirling towards the feline, a little shocked. "What brought you to that conclusion, stupid cat?" he demanded.  
>"Well, the way you were both talking to each other, and constantly arguing, I just thought." Happy shrugged, smirking a bit.<p>

Laxus looked away from Happy, trying to focus on Natsu. "Shut up stupid cat, you're too noisy." Laxus muttered, shifting his shoulders a bit so Wendy wouldn't slide off his back.

"Garg!" Natsu coughed as the rapids began to speed up. Laxus' eyes followed the current. "Time's up, get him now." Laxus ordered towards Happy, motioning towards the waterfall that was fast approaching. Happy gasped, flying as fast as he could to Natsu's aid.

"Natsu!" Happy called, flying above the raft, trying to grab Natsu through the thundering rapids.

"H-Happy." He muttered, weakly lifting his hand towards the flying cat. His hand soon fell back down onto the raft and he returned to unconsciousness from the motion sickness.

"Natsu!" Happy cried as the raft tipped over the edge and Natsu fell plummeted with the cascading waterfall. Happy sailed after Natsu, disappearing over the edge of the cliff.

"Natsu-san! Happy!" Wendy cried. Laxus jumped a bit, looking over his shoulder at Wendy.

"When did you wake up?" he demanded.

"A moment ago." Wendy sniffed as the two halted at the river bank, trying to spot the two Fairy Tail mages.

"You see them?' Laxus asked, scanning the area.

Wendy shook her head, answering, "No."

Laxus scowled. "Crap." He muttered.

"Laxus, w-where is Lucy?" Wendy asked as Laxus let her down off his back.

"She's fighting an Oracion Seis member as we speak." Laxus answered, still staring down the side of the cliff.

Wendy covered her mouth in shock. "By herself?"

"Don't worry. She can handle herself." Laxus assured her. "Oh, before I forget though - when we are around others, call me Ernie." Laxus muttered quickly.

"…" Wendy fell silent, staring at Laxus. "E…Ernie?" she questioned demurely.  
>"It's a fake name your stupid cat gave me. It's too late to change it now though, so I'm stuck with it." Laxus growled in annoyance, glancing once more over the side of the cliff. "I've lost sight of them. They must be down there somewhere. Knowing them, they'll probably head in that direction." Laxus pointed towards the large beam of light.<br>"What is that?" Wendy gasped.  
>"My guess, it's Nirvana." Laxus answered.<p>

"Nirvana!"

Laxus nodded. "We don't have time to stop though. We have to hurry. Those Oracion Seis members are probably there already." Laxus grabbed Wendy's arm and began to lead her towards the light.  
>"Laxus, you do know how to get there, right?" Wendy asked softly, trailing behind him.<p>

Laxus visibly flinched, shoving Wendy in front of him. "You should walk ahead of me." He ordered.

Wendy stared at him, chuckling a bit. "Okay, Laxus."

**Tremendous amount of thanks to Skymia! I feel this chapter turned out much better thanks to your help. Thank you all for the support and sorry for the long wait. There were some family troubles and I wasn't able to write this until today. By the way, Happy Easter! **

**Quick note: LucyxLaxus Foreva, had sent me a challenge. The challenge is to not use a smiley face in any part of the chapter. I have accepted this challenge and am determined to follow it through. If anyone spots a smiley face of any kind, please let me know. **

**Let the challenge begin!**

**YhenCay**: Nope! Happy was unable to see Lucy's face. I'm not sure where the name 'Ernie' came from, it just hit me. Plus, knowing Laxus, he probably wouldn't be too happy to have that as a name. Sorry for the long delay.

**MirageIceDragonSlayer**: I hope this chapter seemed longer. It sure felt long while I was writing it! Anyway though, hope I didn't make you wait too long.

**chacra**: Compared to Laxus, Natsu and Gray do seem like runts. Thanks for the review!

**HinaSnowBastia**: LaLu forever! Charle is so mean to Laxus, hehe. I'm sorry I can't answer you're question, you're going to have to wait like everyone else. Don't worry though, the answer will come in time.

**ShinningStellar**: Laxus did find them first! There was a little fluff once he found Lucy too. I'm always fire up when I write new chapters!

**IrisWhiteDreyar**: Laxus was even more romantic in this chapter. I think I would die if a guy ever told me he would never let anyone hurt me again. No one has realized who Laxus is yet though. Happy will probably be the first to realize Lucy's identity though. He's had so many clues all ready so it's only fair.

**suikodengel**: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I put a lot of LaLu fluff in it! Mwahaha!

**WendySkyMaiden**: Don't worry! Loki is coming in the next chapter, and there is going to be a lot of fighting. I'll also have a part in this where Loki yells at Fairy Tail. That's when the true rage of the lion is shown. Haha!

**oniwuufu**: I'd be honored to read your fanfic. Just tell me when you put it up and I'll check it out. I'm always a weirdo when I come onto FanFiction. Not to mention I stay up till 3 in the morning just staring at my screen.

**Sin of the Fallen**: The key word there is 'hopefully'. Laxus has anger that his hard to control.

**61wisampa**: I've pretty much ignored all my homework to write this chapter. But who cares haha, I've finished the chapter! Charle may not want to admit it, but she trusts Laxus and Lucy with her and Wendy's life.

**Lady Nosila**: Laxus has arrived to save the day. With a little fluff here and there, hehe.

**Princess Happy**: Sorry for the delay! I loved the named Ernie. I knew that the real Laxus would probably strangle me if I tried to give him 'Ernie' as a nickname.

**MintLeafeon**: Charle you little genius you! Yes, we all know Laxus likes Lucy, he just wont admit it. You can definitely tell in this chapter though, haha!

**Gentleheart**: I would give you a smiley face back, but I've taken a bet from another reviewer. That I wouldn't use a smiley face anywhere in my chapter, no matter what. And I'm determined to win this dare!

**AnisRocks**: That was the point I was trying to get across actually. Good job spotting it. Ernie is such a weird and un-Laxus like name, that Natsu and Gray would never realize it.

**Neko-Tiara: **Thanks for the review. I'm glad you like my Fic. Ernie is a pretty funny name. That's probably why Natsu and Gray laughed at it so much.

**LucyxLaxus Foreva**: For starter, I love your name! Maybe because I'm a LaLu fan, as you can tell, but who knows! Secondly, I accept your dare! So far, I think, I've gone through the whole chapter and review replying without a smiley face. (As I type this I'm checking back to make sure. And I'm good!) Thanks for the challenge and compliments. It's nice to have a challenge. Though there have been plenty of times so far where I wanted to use a smiley face, I must refrain!

**Stara-chi**: Cliff hangers are never fun… unless you're the author, then they are super fun!

**Varaozao**: Laxus did save her! Haha!

**Bloody.5507**: Ernie is an epicly weird name! Charle, you evil genius you. Making Laxus suffer like that. Haha, makes me laugh.

**Meredy Grimoire Heart**: I'm hoping to write some ErzaxJellal fluff somewhere in this, since I'm a fan of that pairing too.

**BlackAngel'sWrath**: Well, my friend told she had a cousin name Ernie the day I wrote the last chapter. I needed a name that would really annoy Laxus, and that name just seemed to fit.

**bunannza**: Laxus did in fact save Lucy! There was fluff too, which is always a plus.

**felixfan**: Sorry for the delay, and thanks for the compliments. It makes me happy to hear them. When I first wrote this, I knew there weren't a lot of LaLu stories. I was hoping that when I wrote this one, it would encourage others to write some too. I even made a community based on the LaLu pairing. *Blush* Really though, thanks for the compliments. You are all so nice when you review, makes me happy.

**Lost Canvas**: haha. It's nice how you review as the chapter goes. The Ernie name is actually showing a bit of how smart Charle is. Since Erza and the others were there, Charle didn't want to use a name that was too close to Laxus. So she said Ernie, knowing that Laxus would hate the name and would never use that as a fake name. This way, it would makes the others not even bother to think that Ernie was in fact Laxus. If Natsu and Gray were to come with Laxus, they would probably see his magic eventually, and would realize something was up. Thanks for the review, I hope you review this one too!

**xXRedPokerGirlxX**: I'm going to skip a lot of the battles in the Oracion Seis Arc. Within the next few chapters, there are going to be a lot of time skips. Hope you don't mind. For instance, I might even skip Angel and Lucy's battle, and have it so I just say in past tence that Lucy won and took Angel's spirit keys. Who knows. *shrugs* I don't want this story to drag out too much though. Since this is chapter 20, this story is beginning to get a little long. So I may end up ending it after the Oracion Seis battle, then continuing it on a sequel. I know for sure I don't want this story longer then 25 or 26 chapters.

**Skymia**: *blush* Aww, thanks Skymia. Thank you so much for all the help. I'm glad I have a friend like you to support and encourage me.

**jasmine831**: Sorry for the long delay. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

**Chloeandderek**: Ernie is a very nice, yet funny, name. Hehe.

**michu**: I updated once more, haha! Don't worry, Laxus has come to Lucy's rescue! Right Laxus?

Laxus: *Grumbles something*

Hehe, he's shy. Thanks for the update!

**Lime Toaster Cat**: It's honestly pretty hard to review to every story, and it mostly takes up most of the chapter. It's worth it though, and fun to reply to everyone's review. I hope you squealed a lot in this chapter. I added a lot of fluff!

**Rosella6199**: *blush* Aww, thanks. I don't really think my story is that amazing though. I still feel like I have a long way to go as a writer.

**CuteRobin**: Sorry for the delay, but here is the new chapter. I shall never stop writing! …Unless my hands fall off, then I might have to consider put away my keyboard.

**Kyara17**: ... Je vais être honnête, c'était un peu difficile de répondre à votre avis. Ensuite, j'ai utilisé traducteur Google et il a obtenu un peu plus facile. Je ne suis pas bonne en français, alors j'ai demandé à ma sœur de l'aide car elle est dans une classe de français,. Nous espérons que vous pouvez faire ce que je veux dire. Je suis content que vous avez aimé mon histoire et j'espère que vous continuerez à lire! Merci pour l'examen et j'espère avoir de vos nouvelles bientôt.

**Aoi Kamikaze : **Sorry the last chapter was short. Hopefully this one is a little longer. Happy doesn't find out who Lu is just yet, but don't worry, he's getting there.

**BunnyGirl**: I'm addicted to writing this story. I can't wait till I'm able to finish it!

**CarolinSama**: Laxus/Ernie has saved the day! Haha, you gotta love how Happy reacted. When I wrote that, I was cracking up.

**OrbitalTM4**: Thanks for the idea. It would make the story interesting I agree, but I have a certain plan for this story to take. Though every once and a while I go off that plan, it's still coming together. Natsu will know soon enough though. Thanks for the review!

**Shanisarous Rex**: I added a bit to the ribbon part. I want to continue the LaLu relationship as much as possible! Laxus is a jerk, but can't help but act all nice and slightly annoying to Lucy.

**browni222**: Thanks for the review, I'm glad you like the story!

**dark**: Ernie is a hilarious name! I was laughing while writing about it.

**Namikaze360**: Ta-da! I'm glad you liked the ribbon bit. I added a bit to it to make the relationship between Laxus and Lucy a little stronger. My main worry was keeping the characters personalities the same. It puts me at ease to know I'm doing that right.

**bloocharm**: I hope this chapter wasn't too short. It's okay if you didn't review the last chapter. I'm glad you liked the last chapter and I hope you enjoyed this one too.

**Payton-Hale**: I love the LaLu pairing. Characterization is my biggest worry, So I'm glad I seem to be doing that correctly.

**Haappyy**: Laxus did in fact find Lucy, Wendy, and Happy.

**Xx-Confused-Angel-xX**: I don't know how I got so many reviews. I just…. Did. *shrugs* I'm just as shocked though, if not more. I really didn't expect this many reviews in the time period this story has been up. I'm glad you like this story though, it makes me happy.

**soul12**: I sometimes stay up way to late reading stories on FanFiciton. Several times so far I've stayed up till 4;00 in the morning trying to finish a new chapter for this story. Thanks for the review!

**Star5258**: Sorry for the delay. Here's the next chapter though.

**Kurieita**: *Blush* Hehe, thanks. I've never been complimented on my stories as much as I have during this one. You are all so nice, saying stuff like this to me. Thank you so much.

**sweetopal15**: Chapter 3 made me cry too, and I knew exactly what was going to happen!

**Bumblebee**: I can't change the title though! Plus, the title is mainly to fit what Lucy though at the very beginning and end of the first chapter.  
><strong>Innocence-creator<strong>: Sorry for the delay. I'm so happy this is your favorite Fairy Tail story! It makes me super happy to hear that.

**Wow. You guys really do send a lot of reviews. That makes me really happy though. It took me 4 and a half pages just to reply to everyone 0.0**

**As a final note: HAHA! Take that LaxusxLucy Foreva! I completed your challenge! Thanks for the challenge though. It really made me focus while writing replies. **


	21. Stubbornness

**Here is the next chapter everyone body! (Important announcement on the very bottom of the page. Please go all the way to the bottom to read! Thank you ^_^)**

"To think we would find one of the Oracion Seis members here." Ren, of Blue Pegasus, muttered. He stared down at Racer. Racer was slumped down against a tree ahead of them, badly wounded and unconscious.

"What do you think happened?" Eve questioned, tilting his head.

"I'm not sure. By the looks of his wounds though… it looks as if some sort of lightning magic was used against him." Ren shrugged.

"Lightning? I don't remember any of the other guild members being able to use that." Eve frowned, rubbing his chin in thought. "Perhaps it was Ernie, or Lu even." Ren suggested. "Lu, huh?" Eve cooed. "How cool, for her to be able to take down such a strong apponent! Truly amazing! "

"It could have been Ernie." Ren rubbed the back of his head, not wanting to admit that it was amazing if Lu was responsible for this. "We should keep moving. The others are probably all ready heading towards Nirvana." Looking towards the large beam of light, Ren scowled.

"You serious?" Lucy mumbled softly, staring at Aquarius, who was currently squealing over Angel's new stellar spirit. "Scorpio…" Lucy repeated softly. "You couldn't possibly be…" "My boyfriend!" Aquarius cheered, clapping her hands together.

"You're kidding me? "

"Pleased to meet ya, owner of Aquarius." Scorpio grinned, signaling his signature sign at Lucy, who was currently too shocked to speak.

"Wha-"

"Don't you even think about saying anything funny now, little brat." Aquarius hissed, suddenly looming over Lucy.

"A-Aquarius wait-"

"Let's go Aquarius." Scorpio wrapped his arms around her shoulders, leading her away from the river.

"Of course!" Aquarius paused to look over her shoulder when Scorpio was distracted by the path ahead. "Stupid girl." She mouthed. "Don't lose."

"Eh?" Lucy gasped as the two disappeared. Don't… lose. She must have read Aquarius' lips wrong. There was no way she would say that to her.

"How can you not know about the relationships between spirits? You can't even hope to defeat me!" Angel laughed.

Lucy fumed. "Well, there goes my most powerful spirit. Wait, that's not true." Lucy smiled at an idea. "I haven't fought together with him in a while." Lucy pulled out another golden key.

"Hmm?" Angel cooed as Lucy turned the key.

"Open, gate of the Lion. Loki!" Lucy exclaimed, waving the key around. A small poof sound was heard. Loki appeared, dressed in a dark black suit and striped tie.

"Your prince is here." He smirked, folding his arms. Instantly glancing over his shoulder, Loki examined Lucy closely. "How are you feeling?" he asked softly. "T-This is really not the time for questions like that, Loki." Lucy inhaled, trying to get him to focus. But she was happy that he was concerned for her well being.

"Oh, how I've missed you." Loki mused, instantly transforming into his usual playboy self. "I haven't seen you in months. You've grown even more beautiful then before!"

"You can't even see my face." Lucy muttered softly. Their attention turned back to Angel, when they heard snickering.

"As I just said, you should really learn the relationships between Stellar spirits." Angel lifted up a key, turning it in her hand. "Open, gate of the Ram. Aries!"

"Aries!" Lucy gasped, quickly remembering Loki mentioning that spirit. Aries had been one of Karen's spirits if she recalled correctly. Aries was the whole reason Loki had forced himself to stay in the human world for so long. To think that she ended up with Angel. How did Angel get a hold of Karen's keys though?

_Could she possibly be the one who killed… Karen? If that was true, then…_

Lucy growled angrily. This was too cruel. They were finally reunited, but forced to fight? She wouldn't allow it!

"Close-" As Lucy began to lift up her hand, Loki quickly grabbed it.

"Don't look down on me," he commanded. "She may be an old friend of mine, but our masters are currently different. If our masters are enemies, so are we. " Loki explained, slowly lowering Lucy's hand. Slowly turning to look at Lucy, he smiled. "I must keep moving forward, not matter the pain." He whispered softly enough for only Lucy to hear. "You taught me that, Lucy. I couldn't protect you before, but I swear I will protect you now."

Lucy's eyes widened as she stared at Loki. "Loki… you…" she whispered.

"Even if we owe each other a great debt, we must defeat the enemy for our master's sake!" Aries announced nervously, stepping forward.

"For that is…" Loki's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"That is," Aries sprinted forward.

"Our pride!"

"Loki!" Lucy gasped, surprised at his fast moving actions. This wasn't right! They shouldn't have to do this, considering all they'd gone through – together! Spirits had masters, but they shouldn't be forced to fight their friends!

Lucy gritted her teeth, clenching Loki's key until her knuckles were white.

"Loki." Her voice was barely above a whisper. Closing her eyes, she tried to drown out the sounds of battle. "I'm sorry, Loki."

"Caelum!" Snapping her eyes open at the sound, Lucy was horrified to see the sight of a large beam of light shooting through Aries and Loki's body. "L-LOKI!' she screamed in shock.

"Ha! Perfect shot!" Angel laughed.

Why would she do that? Aries was her own spirit! Her own comrade!

"I'm sorry… Lucy…" As Loki's apology faded, he reached out to Aries.

"I'm glad, Loki…" Aries smiled weakly. "That you were able to find yourself a great owner." With that, the two disappeared, returning to the spirit world.

One again, separated.

"Did you see that! I can summon two spirits at once! I'm afraid your big strong Leo isn't coming to help you anymore." Angel cackled with insanity. Lucy's eyelids were fraught with tears, but she steadied herself.

"Angel…" Lucy spoke darkly, reaching for the hilt of her celestial sword. "You dare to call yourself a stellar spirit mage?"

Angel fell silent. A powerful aura was emitting from Lucy's body.

"What the… where is all this magical power coming from?" she questioned, stepping back in surprise.

"Using their emotions like that? Tearing apart their bond?" Lucy's tone turned menacing, with a dangerous undercurrent. "I'll never forgive scum like you!"

~~~~~Laxus and Wendy~~~~~

"Charle!" Wendy cried with joy, snuggling her beloved white cat close.

"Wendy!" Charle sang, burying her head into her best friend's shoulder.

Laxus folded his arms as he watched the touching, if not annoying, reunion. Only moments ago, Charle came falling from the sky in a mad rampage to get to Wendy. Since then, the two young mages had been bawling their eyes out, constantly calling the other's name. "We get it!" he groaned, tilting his head back to emphasize his point.

"Why, you!" Charle snapped, flying over to Laxus, clearly enraged. "What took you so long!"

"There were detours," came Laxus' grumbled reply.

Charle narrowed her eyes, scanning the area. "Where is that stupid blonde girl?" "We got separated. She's probably finishing off one of those Oracion Seis guys."

"Laxus, are you sure it was okay to leave her?" Wendy asked, gazing up at Laxus.

"She'll be fine." Laxus lifted his hand to pull off his hood and run his fingers through his hair.

"Oh yeah..." Laxus blinked, as if suddenly remembering something. "Hey, stupid cat! What was with that idiotic name you gave me!" he barked, a small trace of lightning shooting through his eyes.

Wendy jumped in surprise. Charle on the other hand, folded her arms, amused at Laxus' reaction.

"Like we had any other choice at that moment?" Charle shrugged innocently. "You probably wouldn't have come up with anything decent, so I chose for you."

"Ernie isn't decent at all!"

"It makes it easier for you this way." Charle explained. She looked away.

Laxus' anger left him for a slight second. "What?" he scowled.

"No one from Fairy Tail would expect _you_ of all people to choose the name 'Ernie' as a secret identity. This way, they don't suspect you as much. Unlike 'Lu' which is way too close to that stupid blonde's real name." Charle announced.

Wendy and Laxus were silent as they stared at the flying white being in front of them. "Charle, you're so smart!" Wendy beamed; understanding dawning on her features.

Laxus' jaw tightened again. "You couldn't have picked anything better?"

"There wasn't much time. Now, let's go Wendy… Ernie." Charle smirked, quickly flying ahead. "I'll kill you, you irritating feline!" Laxus chased after her. Wendy giggled, running after her two companions.

"Laxus, your hood!" she struggled to remind him, hopping that none of the alliance happened to see him.

~~~~~Lucy~~~~~

Lucy breathed heavily as she stared at Caelum, clutching her sword with all her might. This spirit was stronger then she initially thought.

"Haha! Weak! Pathetic! You can't even touch me!" Angel mocked.

Falling to one knee, Lucy grimaced. "Heh. So says you, you coward." Lucy muttered.

"Excuse me?" Angel's voice darkened as she glared at Lucy.

"It's true that you defeated my spirits, but I am still willing to fight with my own strength. You on the other hand, haven't even tried to attack me without one of your own spirits nearby to protect you. You're not even using Caelum yourself to attack me. Instead, you hide behind Gemini, letting them do the dirty work." Lucy stated.

Angel's face twitched with rage. "Why, you insolent girl. Caelum!" she called.

Caelum suddenly jumped up, changing into its cannon form. "Fire!" Angel commanded.

Lucy, unable to dodge, took the hit full force. "Gack!" she gasped as the bright green beam of energy hit her shoulder, making a large gash.

Falling back into the river, Lucy slowly floated to the bottom. "A cannon and sword form. What a powerful spirit!" Lucy thought in dismay. "Just as I thought. I'm still too weak to handle anything like this on my own! I'm sorry Wendy, Charle… Laxus. I'm letting you all down." Lucy's lips trembled. She used her feet to push herself upwards. Gasping for air, Lucy struggled to a place in the river where she could stand.

"Heh." Angel chuckled as Caelum floated at her side. "Giving up?" she questioned.

Gripping her wounded shoulder, Lucy glared at Angel. Gulping at her chances of winning, Lucy whipped away the bead of sweat that managed to trickle down her face. If she could get to Angel, then she could try to defeat her with hand to hand combat. She would have to get past Caelum first. With Gemini, Scorpio and Aries unable to battle, Caelum would only be able to use its sword form if Angel decided to fight.

Though it seemed likely to happen, Angel didn't seem like the type of girl to want to get her hands dirty.

The chances of her success were squat. Even with all the training Laxus had put her through, she was still as weak as ever! What was the point of even continuing now?

"_Heh, giving up Blonde?"_

Lucy caught her breath, her thoughts flashing back two months before.

_"I-I can't." Lucy panted, hunching over in attempts to calm her racing pulse. "I'm not good with hand to hand combat." _

_Folding his arms, Laxus scowled. "It's been 10 minutes." he indicated. "Keep going."_

_"B-But-" Lucy stammered desperately. "You're much stronger then me Laxus."_

_"Only the weak use that as an excuse. Come." he commanded. Lucy hesitantly took a few steps forward, gaining enough courage to charge at Laxus. Within seconds he had flipped her over his shoulder, tossing her to the ground. _

_Momentarily winded, she glared up at him. That had been the third time today he had done that, and it was starting to get annoying. Panting heavily and refusing to move from her position on the ground, Lucy watched Laxus curiously as he kneeled next to her. _

_"Heh, giving up Blonde?" _

_Flinching at his tone, Lucy turned over to her side, using her forearms to lift herself from the dirt. "Never." she spat. Laxus smirked, obviously approving her stubbornness. _

_"You will never improve…" Lucy paused at Laxus' words, surprised at how tender he was grabbing her shoulder. "If you believe you can't do it. You must keep fighting, and stick with that stubbornness of yours. I like you better that way anyway." Laxus smirked. _

_"Wha-" Lucy's face brightened, looking similar to a cherry. Staring at Laxus' serious, yet very irking expression, Lucy stammered, "What does that mean!" Pulling her shoulder free, she scrambled to her feet, inching as far away from Laxus as possible. _

_"Nothing, Blonde." Laxus mocked. _

_"Don't call me that, stupid Laxus!" she screeched, suddenly kicking her foot up, hitting Laxus in the face dead on. _

Slowly covering her mouth, Lucy held in a chuckle. "_You're right, Laxus." _Lucy grinned to herself. _I can't doubt myself, I have to keep fighting. I'm just that stubborn of a girl. _

"This is getting boring." Angel sighed, shaking her head. "Caelum, finish her off."

Flinching, Lucy spotted Caelum heating up for its next attack. Angel's unpleasant laugh filled the air.

_"Move!" _she growled. "_You have to move!" _At her own attempts, Lucy's knees gave out, landing her back in the water.

"Once you're out of the way, I'll go after those other guild members. Perhaps I'll start with the little Sky Sorceress… or even that mysterious hooded man."

Lucy's world stopped. Something within her flared alive. As Caelum fired, Lucy's hand twitched. Her sword suddenly shot up, hitting away the beam of light as if it was nothing.

"You'll… what?" she asked, her voice livid. Angel gasped as she rose to her feet.

"H-How?"

"You'll do what now?" Lucy demanded. The water in the river began to shake, swirling to the power source circling Lucy's body. Angel took a shaky step back, confused to how Lucy was still standing. "YOU'LL DO WHAT TO LAXUS?" Lucy screamed, her magic symbol encircling her.

"Caelum! Hurry and destroy her!" Angel cried, desperately pointing to Lucy.

With her mind clouded, Lucy felt nothing but rage. Rage and the sudden urge to protect something – no, someone very important to her. Words filled her head, and she felt complied to speak them.

"Survey the heavens and open them wide. Through the shining of all the stars of heaven, make them known to me."

_I want to protect everyone important to me_.

"O eighty-eight signs…"

_I want to protect 'him'._

"Shine." Opening her eyes, Lucy felt the energy surge through her. It was a power she had never imagined she was capable of!

"Wh-What is this?" Angel squeaked, her eyes darting in fear and shock.

"**Uranometria!"**

"KYAH!" Angel shrieked as Lucy channeled all the power she had built up surging towards her opponent. Flinging Angel into the air, the raw energy shred fabric. Bruises formed almost immediately on Angel's pale skin. The force twisted nastily around Angel.

Feeling her mind clear, Lucy blinked. "Eh?" she questioned, staring around.

"I was just… um…" she squeaked as Angel landed in the water across from her. Lucy raised her sword. "Wait – What's going on? I mean… Did I?" Lucy titled her head. Realizing that Angel lay unconscious in defeat and no one else was around, Lucy could only assume… "I WON!" she gasped. "I… I actually won. HA! Take that Laxus! You and your…" Pausing, Lucy looked down towards her belt, where the lightning bolt key chain hung. It glinted in the sunlight, as if winking. Prying it from her belt, she held it close. "Laxus…" she whispered with a sweet smile.

"_I'll see you soon_," she said to herself.

"I'm not… finished yet!" Angel jumped up from the water, Caelum in her hands.

"Shut up!" Lucy snapped angrily, upset that Angel had the nerve to ruin her dramatic moment there. Curling her fingers, Lucy punched Angel swiftly in the face, making her cheeks crack. "Whoops." Lucy winced at the sound, watching in dismay as Angel stumbled back, falling into the river once more.

"My bad," she exhaled.

~~~Laxus, Wendy, Charle~~~

At least an hour had passed by the time they had neared the beam of light. Just as Laxus was beginning to feel very accomplished of himself, this happened: "What the hell." He grumbled, as he was lifted into the air by the ground, which had begun to form legs of some sort.

"Laxus!" yelled Wendy, who was currently being carried by Charle.

"I'm fine!" Laxus called back, holding onto a rock so he wouldn't fall off. "What is this thing anyway?"

"It must be Nirvana! The ultimate weapon!" Charle gasped, staring at the large structure.

"Great." Laxus muttered, using his feet to push himself forward. "Might as well get to the main body." Laxus began to climb. "Do you think Lucy is okay?" Wendy called, flying beside him. "She's probably complaining about having to climb these things." Laxus guessed, chuckling.

Wendy blinked. "Laxus?" She pondered aloud. She'd never seen him chuckle with such enjoyment before.

"Well, get moving!" he ordered. "Y-Yes sir!" Wendy cried out, begging Charle to continue.

Laxus watched Wendy and Charle disappear into Nirvana. A thoughtful expression formed on his face. Glancing at his wrist, Laxus smirked. The blue ribbon brought a flashback of her blonde hair. "I wonder… have you defeated that chick yet, Lucy?"

~~~ "ACHOO!" Lucy sneezed, rubbing at her nose. "This is really not the time for people to be talking about me!" Lucy whined as she desperately held onto one of the many legs of Nirvana. For some reason she always seemed to sneeze whenever someone was chatting about her.

**0.0 Hmm, this is starting to become an on going pattern. I think a chapter is really long when I write it, but then when I go over it or put it up, it always seems really short in my opinion. It's weird. Oh well though. Now, some of you have asked exactly how long I intend to make this story. Well to be honest, I'm not sure myself. I know where I want to go with this story, I'm just not sure how long it will take to get there. For the moment, I know FOR SURE there will be at least 5 more chapters. Once I reach that 5 chapter limit… who knows what I'll do. I may end the story there because 27 chapters is a long read or continue till I'm done. **

**purplechalkwitch: **Thanks for the review! It is thanks to Lucy that she got the Uranometria… though she doesn't exactly remember how she got it. Lucy turns out to be stronger then she thinks, huh. Gihehe (Gajeel moment 0.0)

**Vatala Darkmist: **As I said to you in the message I sent you, NO IT DOESN'T! A surprised emotion is NOTHING like a smiley face, just so you know. Okay, now since that is out of the way, thanks for the review! LaLu is the cutest! Though it may never happen in the manga I am still and always will be a fan!

**SasuNarulover49: **Yes, yes Lucy is. Though she had some trouble at first, she just needed some encouragement! (Just saying this real quick) I am a complete SasuNaru fan too! (though this is completely off topic, hehe) I think SasuNaru is adorable!

**Another Is Greeat: **Agreed completely! I thank you for the support and may LaLu live on FOREVA!

**fanatic-fangirl: **You gotta hate those cliffhangers. Thank you for your forgiveness. :D Sorry for the long wait, but I hope this made it up to you. I got some epic Lucy moments in this!

**Archangel-Angelo: **Geez, I'm not a good writer, I still have a long way to go. You guys are just all WAY to nice. I truly appreciate it though. ^_^ A… hmm give me a moment. JeLu? Lual? LuJel? Not sure what name would work there -_-'? Anyway though, I think the idea sounds interesting. Just because I haven't seen anything with that pairing I would probably check it out if you made a story about it. Though I'm mainly a ErzaXJellal fan, I would definitely give a LucyxJellal pairing a try. If you write a story about them please let me know so I can read it! :D

**oniwuufu: **I believe in you! Write on young one… though you may be older then me -_-. A lot of people are older then me. All of my friends are older then me except for one person and I am taller then all of them. It's weird. I await patiently for your story! :D

**Rosella6199: **Nonsense! I'll never give up on this story! You would pay for this story? Huh. I would probably only pay a nickel for this story. :/ weird.

**NoemiNalu: **AllieJenzie the hero at your service! Whenever comedic, emotional love stories are needed, I shall appear! Mwahhaha! Thanks for the review! ^_^

**Princess Happy: **I always enjoy writing LaLu moments. They are always so cute! Gihehehe right back at ya~!

**HinaSnowBastia: **Laxus, he's such a protective puppy! I always had the idea of the promise in my day dreams, so I had to add it. It will be pretty interesting when Lucy is discovered, I assure you of this. Though Lucy will probably respond… how she does whenever she see's fairy tail. Probably hide behind Laxus or something along those lines. LaLu forever man!

**Lucy Ashley from Fairy Tail: **Good is enough from honestly. I'm surprised I haven't gotten one bad review for this story. I honestly thought that it would have happened by now, but it hasn't.

**Lost Canvas: **I don't know what it is about how you review, but it's always fun to me! Gotta love flashbacks. Don't worry, Laxus will get back at Brain later! Hehe. Honestly, Lucy hit the raft so that she wouldn't have to be near him. The thought of Natsu floating away calmed her down enough to stay calm. It's sad, but I'm not sure when to reveal Laxus and Lucy. I know how I'm going to have everyone react when the time comes though. I wouldn't say there isn't any romance between them just because they're separated. ^_^ Don't worry about that sort of stuff. You never offend. I like reviews, good or bad, it doesn't matter ^_^. LaLu forever. Laxus is amazing and I agreed on Laxus be amazing.

**jasmine831:** Yeah, Lucy is a dim I must admit to that. Don't worry though. Once someone realizes they're in love (Hehehe!) it's hard not to act on your feelings. So Lucy is heading there! Thank you for the support and review.

**MirageIceDragonSlayer: **Lucky you! It was so hard not using smiley faces. I had to check over my reviews 3 times to make sure I didn't have any. Any means necessary huh? (Evil chuckles can be heard. Laxus: -_- This isn't going to turn out well) I'll try my very best to post more chapters at a faster pace. Really, your favorite story? Aww, you're making me blush. Thank you. ^_^ I really like your quote. It's so true. -.-

**mini: **LaLu will live on foreva! I'll make sure of that. This can't be the best story you've read. You're making me blush. I do that a lot during reviews for some reason.

**MintLeafeon: **They liiiiiike each other (Happy moment!) I love Happy moments. They're so cute! Lucy did in fact kick Angel's butt, cause she is amazing and Angel should go rot in Jail for how she treated Aries and Loki during their fight.

**xXRedPokerGirlxX: **Thanks for understanding. See, whenever I read a long story with many chapters, I have this odd habit of reading the first 5 chapters then skipping to the recently updated chapter. It's really weird and I try not to do that so I can understand the full plot. See I want Laxus and Lucy to get the Heavens Groove, but I'm not sure if I should stop after the Oracion Seis arc and continue it up in a sequel, or just keep going and make at least 10 or so more chapters…. I just don't know.

**Lime Toaster Cat: **Probably, hehe. I've made it my goal for the next chapter though to make my chapter longer then all my reviews!

**suikodengel: **Yeah, I love Laxus' little moments with Lucy. I find it adorable. I know! I love that little moment with all my heart and soul.

**felixfan: **Yeah, it's pretty sad, yet cute, how he got lost. Maybe that's why he was always gone from Fairy Tail, cause he didn't know how to get back. Hehehe.

**YhenCay: **I love the name Ernie for some reason. I find it adorable and doesn't fit Laxus in anyway, so it made me laugh too. ^_^

**Skymia: **Well Skymia, I tried my best to add those little laLu moments. I think I did okay. You've been so supportive though I'm really bad at writing. You've helped me so much a simple 'thank you' doesn't nearly suffice.

**61wisampa: **I love the keychain/ribbon scene. I found it adorable and I've been waiting a while to put that into the story. I hope you enjoy this chapter as well.

**Feao: **Hehe. Thanks for the suggestion. Trust me though, I shall make a NaLu story as soon as I'm done with this story. Then I'll have all sort of NaLu moments! ^_^

**Kyara17: **Deadly huh? I haven't heard that one yet. Thanks for the review! I hope you liked this chapter too.

**Neko-Tiara: **Thats a lot of compliments. Thank you so much. I hope you enjoy this chapter too and I don't mind the language mixture. Ernie is a pretty hilarious name. ^_^ There was a point to it though, as Charle explained.

**IrishElvnorWhiteDrwyar: **It is very fluffy! :D

**Sin of the Fallen: **…. um… hold a moment, let me think. There's…um… hmm. This is hard. There has got to be one though! Uh…. Hoteye from Oracion Seis? At least, I don't think he has anger management issues. I think. I'll try to think of more, but Hoteye is, sadly, the only one I could come up with.

**bixlowloveslisanna: **Hehe! I'm glad you like LaLu now. It makes me happy. I tried my very best not to go too far off from the manga in the Oracion Seis arc. So far I think I'm doing okay. :D

**Veraozao: **I would be able to live life happily for the rest of time if I had a guy like Laxus! Though his pervertedness might get annoying when we are older, I would still enjoy every moment with him.

**Namikaze360: **I love long and positive reviews! You got the cave scene dead on! When Laxus said that to Lucy I was really trying to show everyone that he would protect her from EVERYTHING, not just Oracion Seis. I did cut the shirt scene with Gemini. -.- that scene completely slipped my mind for some odd reason. I might just end at the Oracion Seis arc then start a sequel, but I'm not sure. I definitely want them to get to Heaven's groove, so I might end at the oracion Seis thing, then start a sequel at them finishing the journey they started with. Thanks for all the compliments, you guys keep making me blush Hehe. I hope you had a good Easter!

**Bloody.5507: **Thanks! I hope you enjoy this chapter ^_^

**michu: ***blush* Aww man, you guys are all so sweet. Thanks for the review. I really liked how chapter 20 turned out. I hope you enjoy this chapter too.

**Chrys Stone: **Sorry I didn't get too much into fighting (I'm not good at writing fight scenes) but I did show Lucy kicking Angel's butt, so I hoped you liked it.

**Footster26: **I love Laxus' non direction sense too. Don't worry, they shall be revealed very soon! :D

**rosequartz17: **I love the name Ernie. I randomly thought it up when trying to come up with a secret identity for Laxus and wanted to add some comedy to the chapter, so thats how it stuck.

**luce heartfillia: **Sorry for the wait, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**mangaanimelover: **I'll update when I update! hehe, just kidding. Sorry for the long delay, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Meredy Grimoire Heart: **I hope that too. That would be absolutely amazing! Thank you for your support! ^_^

**Moonlessnight1991: **…REALLY! You would really do that? Thank you so much, that sounds amazing! :D I was jumping with joy after reading your review. A kiss to shush her up huh? That may happen… later (heheh) Once I'm done with this story and one or two more of my others I'm going to start writing some GraLu and NaLu stories ^_^

**SereneButterfly23: **I love LaLu fluff too! Thanks for the review

**RathinaLamiaTitania: **Yes, Ernie ^_^ Thanks for the review!

**LucyxLaxus Foreva: **Hahaha! Victory! :D :D ;D :D :D :D :D :D smiley face galore! I won your challenge and now I feel as free as a butterfly! Irony indeed ^_^

**SarcAss: **Thank you for the review! I love Lucy and Laxus' relationship so much! As for where I live and such. I live in America. I have hockey, school, music lessons and a lot of other stuff so when I can update varies each time I have some time to spare. At best every week or 2. Sorry if that is a long time.

**Pyon21: **Never! Lucy will NEVER run away from Laxus. Well… maybe a little, but he'll go after her (hehe) Thank you for the support, I'm glad you like LaLu now!

**Star5258: **Thank you so much for the review. I'm glad you liked it and I hope you like this chapter too.

**Firegirl101597: ***Blush* It's not that good.

**Luna: **When will they kiss, I wonder *evil smirk* Who knows.

**OrbitalTM4: **Thank you SOO sooo soo much for the review. I'm really glad you liked the chapter. ^_^

**Rigoudon3: **Well thank you a lot for your compliments. No matter how hard I try, I always miss something that has to do with spelling or grammar. -_-

**oshirajinda: **It's not the best LaLu story out there. You're just trying to make me blush. Which you are succeeding in. I'm glad you like the story so far though, it makes me happy ^_^

**ObitoU.4evrYoung: **Thank you! I hope you enjoy this chapter more.

**KAH! I'm done! ANNOUNCEMENT (If anyone bothers to read all the way to the bottom) My goal for this story is to reach 1000 reviews. I am very close to my goal and ask for all your support. Even if it's a simple review saying "good job" is fine with me. Also, if I so happen to reach this goal, I shall reward the 1000th reviewer! **

**Who ever sends me the 1000th review, I shall write a fanfic just for you! You may chose which manga/anime I do the fanfic on along with the characters and such. Thank you all for the support. This reward is only a small thing I can do for you for all your kindness. **

**Thank you again. **

**-AllieJenzie-**


	22. I will protect them

Lucy was still, her body unmoving. The sunset swept over the land, leaving only the moon to emit light to those below.

_What could she do? What was she supposed to do at a time like this?_

Lucy's heart pounded at the scene ahead of her. Mentally removing herself from the emotions that threatened to overwhelm her, she assessed the situation.

Midnight, the sleeping boy of Oracion Seis, chuckled softly over his defeated victims.

Jellal Fernandes and Erza Scarlet.

Erza was silent, lying on the ground; Jellal sprawled out next to her. Their hands were intertwined with one another, as if they were ready to accept a terrible fate.

That fate wasn't something Lucy wanted to see. Neither of them deserved it, no matter their crimes.

Lucy's breaths were shallow. She recalled the rainy day from many months ago. Her guild – her family – had abandoned her, and left her to rot.

So why did she felt the compelling urge to run forward, despite the odds, and defend them?

As the memory began to vanish, like a fleeting dream, Lucy stepped forward. Her throat felt thick as she reached for the hilt of her celestial sword. Narrowing her eyes, she focused on her opponent, who had yet to notice her presence.

Now was not the time to back down. It was her turn now. Rising up from the ashes of her memories, she would fight. Even if they didn't not love or care about her anymore, she would gladly give her life for those who would always be dear to her.

"Midnight!" she screamed into the ruined streets. Her voice echoed over the building, instantly reaching the Oracion Seis member's ears.

Turning to face her, Midnight smirked.

"Oh? It's seems I've found another person to play with." He folded his arms.

Lucy stepped over Jellal and Erza, positioning herself like a shield. She would not allow them to be involved any longer.

"Are you protecting weaklings like them?" Midnight questioned, tilting his head.

Without an answer, she lifted her sword, feeling her magic envelope her. "I shall not forgive someone who enjoys watching others suffer!" she said furiously.

"Ha." he scoffed. "Only fools think like that."

"No, only those who have learned the true pain and suffering of this world think like that." Lucy corrected him. Midnight frowned, annoyed at the celestial mage's attitude.

As the two stared at each other, Lucy paused when Erza spoke softly.

"L…Lu?" she questioned.

Flinching at the sounds of Erza's voice, she nodded. "You may rest now, I shall handle Midnight."

"I can't allow you to… fight alone. He is stronger then he appears." Erza struggled to rise to her feet.

"I know that." Lucy smiled, though her back was to Erza. "But I can't allow a friend to be hurt and not do anything."

"F-Friend?" Erza mumbled softly, falling back to the ground from her knees, landing once again beside Jellal.

"Yes." Lucy gulped a bit, not sure if she should state her thoughts. As Erza began to lose consciousness, she spoke in a whisper. "I may not be a friend to you anymore Erza, but you will always be someone very precious to me."

"What do…you mean….?" the scarlet haired mage's exhaustion got the best of her, and her eyes closed, as if falling into a long sleep.

Lucy couldn't help but look back to smile at Titania. "Rest well, Erza." she grinned, stepping a bit closer to Midnight. "I shall not lose."

Midnight began to chuckle, amused at how confident Lucy seemed. "Let's skip the boring warm up, shall we? Your friends exhausted themselves completing it. How pathetic." he said snidely.

Lucy's anger blazed. How dare he mock Erza!

She dashed forward, swinging her celestial sword. Angling it at the crazed individual in front of her, she was shocked when the blade slammed against an invisible barrier. Emitting a metallic shriek, the sword swung violently backwards.

Stumbling back, Lucy flinched as the purple lipstick on Midnight's lips curled into a wicked smirk.

"You can't break through my reflector. My power allows me to deflect incoming magic back the way it came. I can even create illusions by warping the path of light."

Lucy only nodded, understanding now why Erza and Jellal had trouble. "So in other words, you can reflect magic and weapons." Lucy mumbled, glancing down at her whip and sword. They wouldn't have much effect on this guy, would they?

"That's right." Midnight nodded, lifting up his arms. "Shall we begin?" the purple lipstick smile turned predatory.

_"Here goes nothing_." Lucy thought dryly, dashing forward. To think, she had just reached the center of Nirvana, and was already fighting again.

Swinging her sword with all her might, she angled it towards Midnight, who smirked. As her sword reached him, it curved upward, flying back. Lucy flinched, jumping back with her sword.

"You can't break through my reflector." he explained.

Lucy bit her bottom lip, scanning for any signs of a weakness. There had to be something, anything! Maybe she was overestimating her own abilities? If Erza and Jellal couldn't handle this guy, then she didn't stand a chance.

_Unless…_

Lucy's train of thought was interrupted when the sleeves of her hood tightened, trapping her arms at her side. "W-What?" she gasped, struggling to break free of her own restraints.

"My magic can twist and distort anything." Midnight snickered calmly.

"That's... nice to know," Lucy grumbled. Lifting her sword up with only her hand, she sawed her robe's sleeves. Midnight raised his eyebrow as he watched Lucy cut off one up to her shoulder, freeing an arm.

"As long as you have clothes on, I could easily choke you." he stated.

"Then why haven't you?" Lucy breathed heavily.

Midnight shrugged. "That would be too boring. I want to see the full extent of your agony-filled expressions."

"Agony?" Lucy whispered softly. "Agony, you say?" Lucy flung her sword forward, using her now free hand to rip her other sleeve off.

Ducking to the left, Midnight let out a chuckle.

Lucy scowled as she watched him side step to the left, her sword missing him by a few inches.

_Wait… he dodged?_

Now sleeveless, Lucy could feel the cool wind brush at her forearms.

"I wonder though, why do you keep yourself hidden?" the question surprised Lucy. "Is it because you do not wish to be revealed, or are you shy?" Midnight watched her.

"Why do you wear make-up?" Lucy scoffed, causing him to flinch in anger.

Pulling out her key, Lucy held it out. "Open, gate of the Bull, Taurus!" she commanded, turning her key.

"Eh? A stellar spirit mage. You must be the one who defeated Angel." he blinked as the large Bull-like spirit appeared before them.

_Well, news gets around fast here._

"I shall protect your wonderful body!" Taurus cooed dreamily, staring down at Lucy.

"G-Great." Lucy muttered with a frown, pointing toward Midnight. Realizing she wanted him to fight, he glared at Midnight.

Examining the enemy, Midnight chuckled. "A cow? That's all you can do?"

"Taurus is one of my strongest spirits, do not underestimate him." Lucy warned, her voice livid. "Taurus, please." she nodded towards him.

Understanding, Taurus charged forward. Jumping in the air, he swung his Axe around his head. "Rampage!" Lucy yelled as he brought his Axe to the ground, generating a miniature earthquake towards Midnight.

Waving his head, the upcoming rocks instantly shifted a different direction. Slightly shocked, Taurus charged forward. "I'm not done yet." he grunted, swinging his axe at Midnight's head.

As his axe moved forward, it was suddenly shot backwards.

"What?" Taurus stammered, stumbling back. After a few more smacks from his own axe, Taurus began to stagger. "Wah…" he whined, his head spinning.

"Taurus!" Lucy gasped as her spirit disappeared. Growling, she reached for another key. Grabbing one, she lifted it up. "Please recover," she mumbled, turning the key. "Open door to the Lion, Loke!" she commanded.

In a beam of light, Loke appeared, looking as charming as ever. "Your prince is here." he announced with a flourish.

Lucy smiled, "I see you healed nicely from Angel's hit."

"Well, of course, Lucy. Only a rejection from you could truly wound me!" Loke reached for her hand, but Lucy caught his wrist firmly.

"We are in battle right now, so focus."

"I always do." Loke pushed up his glasses, observing Midnight. "Another Oracion Seis member?"

"You got it. This one is different though; he can reflect your attacks and use your clothes against you."

"Your clothes?" Loke questioned quietly. Lucy nodded. Adjusting his tie, Loke smirked. "Sounds fun."

"Of course you would say that." Her expression was smug.

Nodding, Loke stepped forward. "Leave him to me!" with that, the lion spirit ran forward, kicking and punching at Midnight with all his might. Each time, his clothes forced his arms and legs different ways.

"You can't hit me, stupid spirit." Midnight explained calmly, his arms still folded.

"I realized," Loke bristled.

Tilting his head, Midnight stated bluntly, "So give up."

"Never!" lunging forward, Loke tried again.

"Now, now, don't get all snippy." Midnight said, using his magic to lift a large rock and smack it against Loke's stomach.

Loke gasped, clutching his stomach in pain as he slide back. "Why, you…"

"Ahah! How amusing!" the enemy laughed hysterically.

"There is something though, that is bothering me." the Oracion Seis member admitted.

"Bothering you?" Loke frowned.

"Yes. I get to see your pain, but not hers." Midnight motioned to Lucy. "It annoys me."

Lucy flinched at his tone, realizing what he intended to do.

"Show me your face!" he commanded, forcing Lucy's hood back.

"No!" Lucy cried as her hood fell backwards, revealing her face.

"Oh? A blonde?" Midnight laughed as he watched Lucy's hair cascade over her shoulder.

Realizing she had been revealed, Lucy desperately tried to shield her face with her fallen hood. The hood, seemingly stuck to her back, refused to move from its given position. Growling, Lucy glared towards Midnight.

Curling his lips, Midnight smirked. "I wonder what you will look like, begging for mercy." Lifting his hand, Midnight's powers forced Lucy's sword to rise from the ground.

Lucy yelped, ducking to the left as Midnight used his powers to send her own sword at her.

"Agony, I want to see agony on her pretty little face!" Midnight laughed menacingly.

"I won't allow you to hurt my owner!" Loke yelled, angling his fist towards Midnight's face.

"You can't hit me though." Midnight cooed as Loke's sleeve tightened and he was pulled back.

Loke hissed, jumping back.

"My turn." Lucy ran ahead of Loke, her whip at her side. Flicking her wrist, the end snapped towards Midnight.

The lunatic with eyeliner smirked. The end of Lucy's whip angled to the left.

"Aha! I told you, you can't hit me!" Midnight cackled wildly. Before he could say anything more, Lucy stepped closer, colliding her fist on the right side of his face. With a gasp, he flew into the wall behind him. Smacking into hit, he slid down to his knees, shocked.

"W-What?" he stammered, rubbing at his stinging cheek. It was intensely swollen.

"I've figured it out." Lucy smirked, glancing at Loke, who was just as confused. Lifting up her hand, she pointed at the dumbfounded Oracion Seis member. "Your magic has two flaws, weaknesses if you will."

"Two?" Loke exclaimed. Lucy glanced at Loki, smirking. "Attack formation 3." she mouthed. Reading her lips, Loke slowly nodded.

Turning back to her enemy, she took a step forward. "Your magic doesn't work on human bodies." she announced. "You can reflect any type of magic and weapon, but living things cannot be moved by you."

Midnight flinched, but quickly regained his control. "So?" His fingers curled; the bottom of Lucy's cloak wrapped around her neck and arms. "I can still choke you like this."

"Loke!" Lucy commanded.

"Regulus Punch!" Loke yelled, appearing behind Midnight, his right hand glowing a light orange. Midnight cried out in shock as Loke punched him in the jaw, making the ground below crack. Stumbling back, Midnight fell onto his back.

"How-"

"Secondly," Lucy interrupted. "You can only use your refractor on one area at a time. Either around you or your enemy, never both. That's why you dodged my sword a few minutes ago. You weren't able to use your refractor while using it on me." Lucy grinned smugly. "Am I right?" with a swift motion, she untangled her hood.

"Ugh." Midnight hissed, struggling to get up. "You've done it now. I was almost there too. If only you had died a bit sooner…" his lips curled into a wicked smirk.

Shocked by his attitude, Loke took a step back.

"You wouldn't have had to see this fear."

Stumbling to his feet Midnight began to laugh. "At midnight, my refraction gets to it's peak!" he screeched.

"What in the world?" Loke exclaimed, staring at the transformation before him. Midnight was no longer human, he was a monster.

Roaring up to the sky, the monster's red eyes leered at Lucy, preparing to rip her to shreds.

"Lucy!" Loke ran to her, ready to protect his owner. Lucy's voice felt trapped. She readied her whip.

"I shall show you true fear!" Midnight lunged forward, a strange black beam appearing in his hands. Jumping back, Lucy barely dodged the explosion from the amount of magic Midnight had.

"So strong!" she gasped, scrambling to her feet.

"Lucy – GACK!" Loke suddenly gasped. Gasping, Lucy turned to her spirit, who had been pierced through the chest and stomach by one of Nightmare's fangs. Realizing the claw had been extended to reach Loke, she cried out.

"Loke-AHH!" Lucy screamed as one of the nails plunged into her stomach

Loke cried out in agony as he was lifted from the ground, reaching towards Lucy. "Lucy, no!" he begged, not wanting to see his precious owner suffer any longer.

Slouching forward, blood trickled from Lucy's mouth. "Ah! G-g-gah." She stammered weakly.

"LUCY!"

No, how could it end this way? Lucy couldn't die like this. First Karen, now Lucy! Why, why couldn't he protect his beloved owners?

Just as things seemed lost, something unexpected happened. The wounds at his stomach and chest disappeared, as did the beast before him.

All that was left was Midnight with a broken cheek, crying in pain. "W….What? H-How?" he whispered softly, as blood spurted from his back. His head was killing him, like he had just been hit be a 10 ton load of bricks. Had he just been… punched?

"Pathetic."

Loke and Midnight gasped, realizing that Lucy was standing over Midnight, her right hand rolled tightly into a fist. Her knuckles were pink and bleeding a bit, showing she had just punched something with all her might.

"You call that fear? You don't even understand the meaning of that word." she growled. "Suffering? Agony? Yeah right, this is nothing."

"M-My illusions… how are they not working?" Midnight choked out, gazing towards the sky.

_"Illusions_?" Loke thought in shock.

Frowning, Lucy placed her hand on her hip. "You said before you could use illusions. Something as weakly portrayed as that could only be an illusion. A real reader would be able to see through your cheap tricks any day."

"R-Reader?" Midnight questioned.

"That's right. I've read more realistic scary stories than anything you were coming up with. If you want to scare your victims, you should try reading horror stories. Stop making stuff up on the spot, stupid mage." Lucy spat.

Loke had been utterly shocked. "Lucy…" he whispered softly."How?" he could only chuckle to himself. He had a truly amazing owner.

Midnight sniffed, tears swelling up in his eyes, "T-This can't be through… I'm supposed to be… the most powerful. Even stronger then my father. A mage undefeated by anyone."

"If you find people's agony and suffering enjoyable, then you are far from the top." Looking ahead, Lucy frowned. "If you want to become the strongest, you must know your own weakness first." Lucy's eyes drifted to Erza's unconscious form. "That is what… Titania had taught me." her throat clench, suddenly becoming very dry. Biting her bottom lip, she desperately held back tears. "And when you protect something that is truly important to you, your genuine strength will show." Lucy bowed her head as her voice finally broke, and Loke knew she was lost in her memories.

_Lucy's voice had left her as she stared at her battered and exhausted guild. _

_They had all fought to protect her, when she did not deserve to be protected. If she had not run away, then none of this would of happened. It was because of her that the guild had been attacked and destroyed. _

_Yet, they…._

_"Lucy." Makarov called out. "Happiness and Sadness. We can't share all of it, but we can to some extent. That is a guild."_

_Shocked by his words, Lucy lifted her head, listening intently. _

_"One person's happiness is everyones happiness. One person's anger is everyones anger. One persons tears, is everyones tears. You don't have to suffer with guilt. Our thoughts should reached you." _

_Covering her mouth, Lucy stifled a sob. _

_"Raise your head. You are a member of Fairy Tail."_

_If she remembered correctly, she broke down into tears after that. They had sacrificed so much for her, and taught her that when you are protecting your nakama, you can accomplish anything. _

So that was why, even if she was not welcomed by them anymore, she would forever protect her Nakama. Just like how they had protected her.

"Lucy," Loke breathed softly.

Midnight fell silent, collapsing to the ground, "My… prayer…" he whispered.

Standing up, the young celestial mage turned to her spirit, grinning. "We won, Loke." She laughed slightly.

Smiling at his owner, he nodded. "Yeah. You were amazing, Lucy."

"No I wasn't." she corrected. "You were a big help too."

Absorbing her sincerity, Loke looked back towards the two unconscious mages behind him. Walking froward, he realized one of them was Erza.

_Erza? She was protecting Erza!_

Staring down at Erza, Loke folded his arms. "You…" he paused. Lucy blinked.

Meeting her stare, he frowned sadly, "Are way too kind, Lucy."

"W…What do you mean?" Lucy mumbled softly, breaking eye contact to stare at her feet.

"You know very well what I mean, Lucy. After all they did, you're still able to…" Loke saw the hurt in her eyes and stopped. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't pry." he apologized quickly.

"No, it's okay." she smiled weakly.

He gazed at his master. Once more, Lucy ceased to amaze him. Not only had she saved his life and given him a chance to live with his friends again, she was able to continue walking despite the unjustified pain she endured.

"Let's move on. They will wake up soon, and we need to find Laxus." Lucy placed her sword back in its sheath, the movement rattling the lightning bolt key chain next to it. Would Laxus would see her as an equal when he discovered her victories? Lucy blushed, tugging her hood over her head so Loke wouldn't notice.

Loke hesitated. In all honesty, he wished to stay. He wanted to wait for Erza to wake up, then demand answers. To hear the exact reason why Lucy had been abandoned. He knew better than to try asking Lucy for this though. She wouldn't be able to take it if Erza discovered her real identity. So he respected her wishes and followed after his owner.

"Am I not going back to the spirit world?" he asked with a sly smile.

She grinned at him. "Would you mind if I asked you to accompany me for a few minutes longer?"

Giving her a soft smile, he stepped beside her, "Not at all, Princess."

"Thanks, Loke." Lucy whispered up at him as they began their journey through Nirvana.

From behind, unknown to all, the scarlet haired Titania stirred. Lifting her head, she drowsily stared ahead.

Noticing two figures exiting the area, she frowned. One was concealed by a ripped cloak, while the other had spiky bright orange hair.

"Who…?" someone had once again saved her. Remembering before, she knew one had to be Lu. The other must be Ernie. They had saved her from the Oracion Seis, that was a relief.

There was something about Lu's presence though, that was familiar. It was sort of a nostalgic familiar that Erza felt whenever she went to the guild.

Wanting to call out, Erza felt too weak to raise her voice. She would meet Lu again later, but for some reason, she didn't want her to walk away. She wanted Lu to stay, and never leave her side again.

Why was that? Why did she feel scared and regretful as she watched Lu walk farther from her?

_Why?_

_-_Laxus and Wendy-

Laxus blinked, looking over his shoulder. "What's wrong, Laxus?" Wendy asked, pausing to look back at her older companion.

Sniffing the air, Laxus scowled. "I don't know, but something smells off."

Taking a whiff of the air herself, Wendy nodded in agreement. "It wasn't there a moment ago." she commented. Laxus turned back to her, "I know, it's like something just recently showed up."

"What though?"

"We'll probably find out soon. Come on, let's keep moving. The smell is coming in that direction." Laxus marched forward, feeling a powerful magic force ahead of them. Knowing Natsu, he would probably follow this smell too, if he wasn't already there.

Would Lucy be there too?

Picking up his speed, Laxus started out into a small jog, wanting to reach the odd smell, and Lucy, as quick as possible.

**Well, here we are. I tried to make this chapter longer, so I hope you all enjoyed it! :D Quick question to you all though. **

**IMPORTANT QUESTION: I will finish this story, I can guarantee that. I need to know something first. Do you want me to finish this story in this fanfic and just make it a really long story, or do you want me to pick it up in a squeal so this fanfic isn't to long? Please send my your reply!  
><strong>

**THANK YOU! To my Beta-Reader Skymia and her amazing support and ideas. Truly, thank you. ^_^  
><strong>

**Sin of the fallen: **Uranometria was awesome! I personally feel Aries never gets enough spot light. So when Lucy's gets her key, Aries is going to come out a lot! Mwahaha! Yup, so now that Lucy is in battle mode right now, Laxus won't be far behind.**  
>Archangel-Angelo:<strong> …Yeah it's something like that *shrugs* Anyway, I for some reason love when the story continues on. Like when I first started thinking about writing of this story, I made a plan. I planned where and what I wanted Lucy to go through at the beginning, then where I wanted her to be at the end. Then I planned some things in the middle, but as long as Lucy gets to Heaven's Groove, everything is good in my opinion.**  
>HinaSnowBastia:<strong> Allie-chan is fine :) Yeah! A LaLu follower! :D I'm glad you liked that chapter. **  
>Princess Happy: <strong>I know right! I've been waiting FOREVER to write that in. I keep day dreaming about a moment Laxus gets hurt or threatened and Lucy just losses it! I'm glad I finally got to one of those moments.**  
>Black Angel'sWrath: <strong>LaLu does rock! P.s, I love your username. It sounds so cool ^_^**  
>Jade-ed Fang: <strong>Hello back ^_^. Thank you for your compliments, and I'm interested in your question. May I ask how you wish for me to add a 'hook'? Do you mean that you want more cliff hangers and such? I'm asking cause I want everyone to enjoy my story as much as possible. So if you have any suggestions, please don't hesitate to tell me. Sorry for the long wait by the way. ^_^' I am the same, I just can't bare the wait of new chapters to other stories.**  
>SeremeButterfly23: <strong>I don't know why, but I keep waiting forever to update this story. Sorry about that. See, Lucy got stronger with Laxus' help. And as they say, 'The true power of someone can be revealed when they are protecting something (or in Lucy's case- Someone (Laxus, hehe)) precious to them.**  
>Forever In The Fire: <strong>I don't know what that means either, but it's always fun to confuse my friends when I say it.**  
>felixfan: <strong>I'm not amazing, really. I truly believe most of the credit should go to my AMAZING beta reader "Symia". Skymia who pushes me to my best and deserves credit in this story too. The key chain bit was cute though ^_^. Lucy's true power truly showed in the last chapter.**  
>Lime Toaster Cat:<strong> Hehe, I'm glad that you read all the way to the bottom. I'm really surprised that most did that actually.  
><strong>NoemiNalu:<strong> I know! Replying to all the reviews is a little bit of a hassle. I actually decided for this chapter I would reply to all the reviews FIRST, then write the story. That way, I would accomplish my goal in making the story bit longer then the reply part.  
><strong>Lucy Ashley from Fairy Tail:<strong> No, a lightning key Chain. I'm super sorry if there was confusion. I've actually gotten a lot of reviews and messages asking that. I should probably try and go back to that chapter and make it more clear -_-' silly me. Thank you for the review though! :D  
><strong>Rugoudon3:<strong> Ernie is adorable and Laxus completely disagrees with you, but who cares what he thinks, haha! ^-^  
><strong>Rosella6199:<strong> *blush* Thanks ^_^. Since I know what is going to happen though, I would still only pay a nickel.  
><strong>MintLeafeon:<strong> She doesn't deserve her spirits. Thats why I am going to be so happy when they join Lucy! Aries deserves to be together with Loki, that's that!  
><strong>61wisampa:<strong> Really? I'll be honest, there were a lot of moments I intended to be funny, but it didn't really turn out that way after I re-read it. I'm not good at writing battle scenes though, sorry that it was short. I love that quote. I felt it showed the true bond Lucy and Laxus share. :)  
><strong>Lost Canvas:<strong> All right! Long reviews! Joyness! And you are amazing with your skills to read beyond the text! With Aquarius, that was almost the exact thing I was trying to show. There of course was still that she wanted some alone time with Scorpio, but she also wanted to help Lucy too. Yeah though, I never like separating Laxus and Lucy. They need to be separated though for my plan to work. And as you said, you wished for more exciting parts in the next chapter. I give you , more exciting parts, haha!  
><strong>These Heroes We Shall Remember:<strong> I disagree…. a bit. You're probably right, but I don't think that will happen till it gets closer towards the 900s. Oh well though, I can't take back what I've said. Well, I guess I could, but most people have all ready seen it anyway. So I might as just let things go as they are ^_^  
><strong>soul12:<strong> OF COURSE IT'S IMPORTANT! All my reviewers are important to me. You've supported me and made me feel welcomed. So I thank you from the bottom of my heart.  
><strong>Rieyama Yuuko:<strong> It's not like usual. I'm not good in general. I've gotten a long way to go in the writing world. Thanks for the review though. I tried my very best to update ASAP. :D  
><strong>Reality Tales<strong>: Thank you so much. I think I'm blushing right now 0.0 You guys are all so nice, I couldn't ask any more of you all. I'll be honest though… in every story I've written, there has always been one review that has said they don't like my story and that I stink as a writer. That hasn't happened yet for this story though 0.0 And oddly enough, I'm waiting for that to happen. Every time I get a review I'm thinking "okay this is going to be it. This is going to be the one" and of course it's not. So it's weird, but I'm patiently waiting for that to happen. Weird huh?  
><strong>blissfulme:<strong> In ages? No way! I think there are plenty of other stories out there ten times better then mine. *Blush* But thank you now. You've really made me happy saying that.  
><strong>nana<strong>: I tried to update as soon as I could, sorry if you waited long.  
><strong>Kyara17:<strong> Thank you very much!  
><strong>Veraozao:<strong> Yes, yes she will. Someday…. ^-^  
><strong>fanatic-fangirl:<strong> I was sad they didn't update the manga that week too. I was so excited and they just let me down. They made up for it this week though. Frosh is so cute and sweet. And Rogue actually seems like a good guy. It's hard to believe he killed his Dragon. I wanted to punch Angel SOOO bad, so I let Lucy do it for me. :D  
><strong>CuteRobin:<strong> *blush* No I'm not! I just have a great beta reader. ^-^  
><strong>Chrys Stone:<strong> How so? Please tell because I want to know my readers opinion!  
><strong>Star5258<strong>: Thank you! :D  
><strong>Yes-Please-I'mLying:<strong> Only a bit huh? ^-^ Natsu is pretty stupid and had plenty of chances to find Lucy, but alas, I'm not that kind :D  
><strong>oshirajinda<strong>: Exactly! Though I'm sure if Angel did manage to defeat Lucy and go after Laxus, he would have snapped and pretty much kill Angel. Lucy got it covered for him though.  
><strong>GnarlyRockerchick:<strong> Gee, you're too kind *blush* I'm not that good really, and this story isn't that amazing. Anyway, thank you for the review.  
><strong>Skymia:<strong> Welcome back Symia. ^_^ You have to be one of the most pumped readers I've ever met. ^_^ ish met…. I haven't actually met you in person, but still. ^_^  
><strong>bunannza<strong>: I feel the love, I really do! Thank you for the love. ^_^  
><strong>Kitsunefighter12<strong>: Thank you for the support, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter too!  
><strong>Luna:<strong> Really? I should go back and check that myself! I will continue my other story soon, I just keep forgetting to update them -_- Silly me.  
><strong>Humanitiesdownfall:<strong> I did! Now I'm posting this one too.  
><strong>Meredy Grimoire Heart:<strong> They will indeed. And looky look, I added some JelZa! JelZa… thats so weird to say out loud. It sounds like some sort of Jello.  
><strong>Vatala Darkmist<strong>: That would be so amazing if they turned this story into a show. 0.0 I think I would die of joy.  
><strong>jasmine831:<strong> I'll update my other story soon, don't worry ^-^ thank you for your review. Lucy was kick butt in the last chapter, and Angel deserved what was coming to her!  
><strong>suikodengel:<strong> I wish you luck on trying to become the 1000th reviewer. Lucy was amazing, and Laxux is so sweet in my opinion.  
><strong>gRayLu010<strong>: I'm glad you liked- I mean loved it. ^-^  
><strong>michu:<strong> *Madly dancing back* I know! It took me forever too! Sorry about that. I hope this chapter makes up for the shortness. If I do end this story, I will definitely make a sequel ^_^  
><strong>Neko-Tiara<strong>: It is a little complicated, I agree. I'm really glad you like my story. ^_^  
><strong>Oniwuufu:<strong> I might be, who knows. And I'm not the best, *Blush* Thanks though.  
><strong>CarolinSama<strong>: Lucy did go epic! Thats what you get when you threaten Laxus. Fairy Tail will discover Lucy soon, VERY SOON! Like the next few chapters soon!  
><strong>star5258:<strong> Thank you! :D  
><strong>Shadowsaver<strong>: Laxus is like Zoro, huh? ^-^ I love One Piece.  
><strong>Bloody.5507<strong>: I'm glad you are happy. When my reviewers are happy, I'm happy too. ^_^  
><strong>MattRamosFT<strong>: There are several reasons I'm asking for guild names. It's something I like to call "alternative endings/Stories" ^_^ I have a lot of ideas for this story… and others. :D  
><strong>TigerMew225:<strong> Seven times! That's a lot. *blush* I inspire you? Geez, you're too sweet. Thank you.  
><strong>ShadowKitKat11<strong>: 0.0 You're a genius! I was actually thinking of doing that, but I wasn't sure. Thank you for your suggestion, you've inspired me! But I probably won't do any of that till I finish this story first. ^_^  
><strong>mzkra<strong>: oh! Good idea! … Mind if I steal it? please!  
><strong>thedoggydog2:<strong> Thank you!  
><strong>ABCMECBA<strong>: Hehe, I don't think anyone would honestly.  
><strong>Marion:<strong> Thank you. I'm really super glad you like my story.  
><strong>Inez89<strong>: Thank you! It makes me happy to know you enjoyed it.  
><strong>Summing up the Stars<strong>: Hehe, you're probably right. Thanks for the support!  
><strong>StoriesOfSomething<strong>: I'm really glad you like it! I'll try my very best to update as fast as possible.  
><strong>KiasuEurasian<strong>: I'm super amazingly glad you love this story. Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter as well. ^_^  
><strong>:<strong> That perfect? I am very pleased that you have come to enjoy LaLu. It's okay if you are Brazilian (Which is amazing by the) your English was fine. :D  
><strong>Fairy tail FTW<strong>: Though I realize this is a review for chapter 1, I still thank you. You cried? (Pulls out tissue) Here, here, whip your tears! Though I have no room to talk, I cried while I wrote that chapter too.  
><strong><br>**


	23. Seal the truth with a kiss

**Everyone I am super sorry about the long wait, but I hope this chapter was worth it. I also want to say that this story will end up being one large story instead of cut in the middle! Thank you for all the support. **

Smoke billowed in the air as flames scorched stone buildings around the area. Anyone who tried to breathe would feel choked. The cause of this was a battle between two powerful mages.

A battle that had yet to end.

Laxus Dreyar crouched behind some of the rubble, silently watching the scene before him.

"Laxus." A soft, almost unheard whisper called behind him. Looking over his shoulder, Laxus motioned for Wendy and Charle to stay low to the ground.

"Silence," He mouthed. Realizing there was an enemy nearby, Wendy did as she was told and hid beside Laxus.

Charle covered her nose, disgusted by the odor of what seemed to be burning flesh. "What is that smell?" she mumbled. Laxus gestured at the twisted form of a giant purple snake. Above it, a familiar sight of pink hair could be seen in the sky.

"Natsu!" Wendy gasped in surprise at the sight of the fire mage, who was currently being carried by his blue companion.

"The male cat." Charle frowned.

Observing Natsu's opponent, Laxus murmured, "His pet snake – Natsu must have burned it." Looking to the large beasts Laxus' assumption was correct. Large scorch marks covered the snakes body, making it's light purple skin change into a dark brown.

"Cobra!" Natsu screamed, trying once more to attack the Oracion Seis member.

Dodging the attempt with ease, Cobra laughed. "Haven't you learned? I can hear every move you're going to make. You can't win."

"Shut up!" Natsu hissed.

"You're weak, just like the rest of your alliance." Cobra continued. "Even the great Titania was no match for us."

"What did you say!" Natsu yelled.

"Erza is ten times stronger than you!" Happy yelled angrily.

"Your comrade Titania has fallen." Cobra began to laugh. "Brain relayed the battle to me. She was defeated by Midnight!"

Growling, Natsu yelled, "Erza would never lose! She's more powerful than all of you combined!"

Cobra folded his arms, grinning like a mad man. "Oh really?" he chuckled smugly. "Killing you fairies, it's always so amusing. How about it, shall you become the third Fairy we kill?"

"T…Third?" Happy stammered. He clutched onto Natsu's back tightly.

Cobra tilted his head, "You heard me. Titania is only the second. Midnight will ensure that. However, we already disposed of a Fairy before meeting you."

Natsu narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about?" he said in a low tone.

"Dark guilds work together, didn't ya know? We already killed her a long time ago! Your precious little celestial mage!" Cobra sneered. Natsu's eyes widened.

"What was her name again?" Cobra paused, making Natsu's eyes glint with fury.

"What did you do to her?" Natsu's muscles clenched.

"Oh that's right. Luuuucy!" Cobra recalled, smiling sadistically. "That dark guild was working for us! We were the ones that gave them the power to mimic your appearance. It was easy, once we learned how to use Angel's spirit Gemini talents to our own advantage. Who do you think provided them that information on Lucy Heartfilia anyway? We knew that Fairy Tail was bound to join the alliance against us. So we sent Roe to make sure Fairy Tail wouldn't be too much of a threat. What better way to do that than to break Fairy Tail's spirit by taking away one of their own?"

Wendy covered her mouth. "Oh my gosh," she whispered, understanding registering on her young features.

"They…" Charle stammered, unable to believe their ears. The reason for Lucy's suffering was… was them!

Laxus' heart pounded. Lucy's beautiful smile, twisted in pain when she was haunted by nightmares, was inflicted by these liars? Her tears, her breakdowns; her scars… was because of these guys? His teeth clenched, and his mind promised murder to those who hurt her.

Natsu's jaw locked, his face shadowed by his bangs. "You did… what to Luce?" his voice a notch below threatening. Scales began to form on his cheeks.  
>"We made her disappear." Cobra smirked. "She no longer exists in this world. She's gone, forever."<p>

"Shut up!" Natsu screamed. Happy knew what Natsu wanted and flew forward, trying to give Natsu a shot at hitting the Oracion Seis member. "Lucy is alive somewhere, I know she is! She would never just leave us!" Natsu's attempts at hitting Cobra were ineffective.

Cobra ducked to the left, dodging Natsu's attacks, "Heh. Seems the plan worked. Fairy Tail is broken without their little newbie around. A broken guild, filled with useless and broken mages."

"Fairy Tail has always had broken people!" Natsu bellowed. Cobra blinked, not sure what he meant. "Mira….Elfman…"

_Natsu fell still, shocked at the sight before him. Eflman and Mirajane were collapsed on the ground, bruised and bandaged. Their eyes held no joy, only pain and suffering._

"_She…She…Lisanna she…" Mira struggled to explain to Happy and Natsu just what everyone was so upset about. "Lisanna!" Mira sobbed._

"…Erza…"

"_I'm glad…. I got to be of… some use… to you." Simon coughed, staring up at Erza with dull eyes._

"_I got it. Don't speak anymore." Erza begged, holding Simon up._

_A grim smile pulled at Simon's lips. "You… were always… so gentle." He stammered. "So… gentle."_

"_Simon." Erza whispered softly, her hands trembling._

_Giving her one last smile, Simon's head fell to the side, a single tear trickling down his cheek._

_Tears overwhelmed Erza as she let out a gasp. "Noo!"_

"…Gray…"

_"Words are born, words fade away." The soft tune of Lyra the stellar spirit filled the cave, surrounding everyone in its sweet melody. Natsu's sleeping expression grew softer as the song continued, forming a warm smile on the fire mage's face. "Words continue to live, in you. When you're stuck, they change into courage. Let's step out. You're stronger than back then."_

_Gray began to tremble as he struggled to hold in his own emotions. "So don't hesitate, believe the words… from that time."_

_Unable to control in any longer, a single tear pushed passed his eyes, sliding down the young ice mage's face._

"_G..Gray?" Lucy gasped. "He…"_

"_He cried." Happy concluded, shocked at the sight._

"…Lucy!"

"_Everyone is hurt!" Happy yelled, angered by the fact that Natsu didn't know when to retreat._

"_I'm not!" Natsu argued. After retreating from the Phantom Lord guild, Natsu had successfully rescued Lucy and was planning on attacking Phantom Lord right there and then._

"_Nav even broke some bones." Happy continued._

"_He's weak."_

"_Warren too!"_

"_Sorry…" Pausing from their argument, the two boys turned to Lucy, who had begun to tremble. "I'm sorry." She repeated. "It's all my fault." She sobbed, bringing her hands to cover her face._

_Feeling his eyes widen, Natsu stepped closer to Lucy._

"_But I… still want to stay in the guild. I love Fairy Tail." Turning to the boys, they were shocked to see trails of tears streaming down her face.  
>"H-Hey! What now? What's the matter?" Natsu stammered, panicked.<em>

"_Lucy." Happy said softly._

_Lurching forward, Lucy sobbed into her hands. "I'm so sorry!"_

"_You can stay!" Natsu yelled. "What's wrong with you… Lucy?" Natsu said quickly, trying to stop her tears._

"_Natsu, let's head back." Happy pleaded._

_Natsu couldn't help but agree. "O-Okay. I guess we have no choice."_

"We're all broken inside! We cry together, laugh together and fight together! When we come together, we become whole! Just like a family. My family!" Natsu screamed. Brilliant flames spread through Natsu's body as Happy threw Natsu towards Cobra. "How dare you… mess with my family!" With one attack, the entire area was set ablaze.

Wendy and Charle gasped, ducking behind the rocks to avoid the flames. Laxus followed suit, covering the girls with his back. Despite being beneath the boulders, they could feel the heat of Natsu's flames.

Within seconds, the sound of a large, dragon-like roar thundered in their ears.

"W-What the-!" Charle gasped, covering her ears.

"This sound." Wendy whispered. She would recognize it anywhere. "A dragon's roar."

"It has to be Natsu," Laxus closed his eyes. He sat up as the flames ebbed.

Lifting his head over the rocks, Laxus saw no sight of Natsu or Cobra in the sky. They must have descended to the ground.

"Let's move." Laxus commanded, grabbing Wendy by the arm and helping her to her feet.  
>"Right." She nodded quickly.<p>

-Lucy-

Just to edge of the battle area, two forms stood, staring at the now empty sky in shock.  
>"L-Loke." the younger of the two forms choked out, covering their mouth.<br>"I heard." Loke slowly looked at his owner, feeling an overwhelming feeling of joy and relief well up in his chest. "Did you hear that Lucy? The truth."

Her knees gave out. Lucy collapsed to the ground, Loke instantly by her side.  
>"T...Thank god." she stammered weakly, leaning her head to the left to bawl into Loke's chest. "Thank god!"<p>

Fairy Tail... her family. They hadn't betrayed her! They didn't hate her or think she was weak.

They were searching for her!

"Everyone" Lucy whispered weakly, a small smile spreading over her face. "Oh god... thank you so much...!"

Wrapping his arms around her shoulders, Loke held her close. She deserved some time out to cry as much as she wanted.

"There, there." He said soothingly, caressing her hair.

"Loke… It was a lie…"

Loke blinked. "Yeah. It was a lie. They never kicked you out."

"They still… they are still…. looking for me, Loke!' she cried.

"Yeah, yeah they are." A soft smile spread over his face.

Suddenly pulling away, Lucy grabbed his shoulder, glistening tears rolling down her face. "They didn't do it, Loke!" she yelled again.

Loke grinned. "Yup!'

Shaking him a bit, Lucy sniffed. "They-they still care, Loke."

He simply nodded. It sounded as if she was struggling to convince herself of this. It didn't matter though, the smile and tears proved to him that she was happier then she had been in a long time.

"Loke!"

"Yes, Lucy!"

"They are still loud idiots, Loke!"

"Pffft." Loke chuckled. "Got that right." Loke laughed.

"Loke, go back to the spirit world." Lucy continued to yell. "You look sick!"

"I'm just happy." He insisted.  
>"That a pathetic excuse, go back. I need to go find Natsu! And, and I need to find Gray and Erza, wait no I just saw Erza so I know where she is. I still need to find Gray though! And Happy, I need to find Happy! So, Loke, go back." Lucy began to shake him violently the words spouting out of her mouth like bullets.<br>"Okay, okay." He laughed. "Just call me if you get into any more trouble." He smiled, lifting his hand to brush away her tears.

Nodding, Lucy grinned. "Always." With that, the lion spirit disappeared.

-Natsu-

Natsu groaned, realizing he was collapsed on the ground.

Looking to his left, Natsu was glad to see Happy unconscious by his side.

Natsu grinned at his small blue companion. "Thanks, Happy." He chuckled. Happy had to deal with that poison just so he could fight Cobra. He must be exhausted. His eyes suddenly felt heavy, and everything became dark. "Not good. I can't stay awake." He grumbled, feeling his eyes close by themselves.

Just as he felt his body drift into unconsciousness, he heard the sound of footsteps toward him. Someone was running towards him! "An enemy?" he thought to himself. "They just can't learn to stay down." Forcing his eyes open, Natsu began to sit up, ready to face the enemy. "I can't lose now." he spat. His eyes projected a blurred vision. He knew if it was a fight, he wouldn't last long.

There was no fighting though, just two soft hands pushing him back down to the ground. "Shh." The figure said softly. "Please Natsu, it's all right. You're okay now."

"W…Who?" Natsu blinked, looking up. Something wet and salty dripped onto his face. Whoever this person was, she was crying.

"I missed you." The voice spoke softly. "I missed you all so much."

Who was it? Natsu blinked rapidly, trying to clear his vision. The voice, the smell, the touch, it was all too familiar. He could make out the small strands of blond hair, and warm chocolate eyes.

"Lu…." Natsu closed his eyes, unable to continue forward. "…cy…"

The fire mage had fallen unconscious, peacefully resting in the arms of an old friend.

"Lucy!" The hooded figure lifted her head, seeing her friends run toward her. "Lucy, are you alright!" Wendy called, overjoyed to see Lucy alive.

"My broken heart's been fixed." Lucy pulled her hood down, her lips offering a hint of a smile. After positioning Natsu in a resting position, she ran to the small dragon slayer. "Are you hurt?" Lucy examined her friend carefully.

"I am fine." Wendy smiled.

Lucy sighed in relief. "That's good." She looked towards Charle. "And you?"

"Fine." Charle said sternly, folding her arms. Lucy smiled, chuckling a bit at the stubborn cat. She cast a glance around the area, panic etched in her features.

"Wendy, where's Laxus?"

"He was…behind the rocks with us – where did he go?" Wendy echoed.

Spotting a cloaked figure pacing in the shadows of trees, Lucy's breath hitched.

"I'll look for him. Will you please heal Natsu and Happy?" Lucy tilted her head, motioning to the pink haired mage. "They are both unconscious."

Wendy nodded and rushed off to their aid. After learning the truth, she felt bad for having thought badly of Natsu. He must have been in a lot of pain when his guild lost Lucy. She would apologize as soon as Natsu woke up!

As Lucy approached the trees, the cloak dropped. Laxus' scarred face was visible, even in the dim light, and Lucy felt her pulse speed up. Her arms were raised slightly, from running.

"Laxus!" Her lips parted into a genuine smile.

"Are you injured?" he asked, concern making his eyebrows furrow. He gripped her elbow gently, before moving his hand to hold her wrist.

"N-no, are you?" Lucy stammered at the intensity of his gaze. His hand was still on hers.

Laxus shook his head. "No. I heard you defeated Angel." He stated.

Feeling herself blush, she looked at her feet. "A-And… Midnight." She mumbled.

"Midnight? The sleeping guy?" He blinked, impressed that she defeated two Oracion Seis members by herself. He exhaled. "That's my girl," he declared, smirking.

Flinching, Lucy avoided his eyes by fiddling with her belt. "T-Thanks. You promised to return my ribbon, remember?" She smiled awkwardly, trying to continue conversation.

"I would never forget that, Lucy." He frowned. Withdrawing the strip of blue fabric from his pocket, he stepped behind her to tie her hair.

"Laxus, what are you doing?" Lucy said in exasperation, her cheeks growing hot. "I can tie my hair myself," she insisted, her fingers reaching behind her head.

"Lucy, were you here for Cobra's confession?" Laxus asked in a low voice. Lucy's attention immediately shifted, and she let her hands drop to her sides.

"Yeah," Lucy's eyes softened. "I learned what really happened. It's weird, but I feel so stupid for actually thinking Fairy Tail would do something like that." Lucy smiled, folding her arms.

"Isn't it a good thing?" Laxus spoke, brushing the last strands of her hair into place.

"W-What do you mean?" she said breathlessly.

"You can go back to the guild now. Everything was just… a big misunderstanding." He continued.

It was true - she could go back. But Laxus could not go back with her. Exiled, he would never return to the place they both knew as home. The thought of separation when their friendship was growing into something more – it sparked pain in Lucy's heart.

"What an idiot I was." He chuckled, lifting a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. "To think for a moment, I considered…"

"Considered what?" Lucy turned around to face him, her eyes clouded over.

"It's nothing important. Go on, go back. This is what you wanted." Laxus said, resting against the tree trunk behind him. His shoulders were tense, betraying his real mood.

"Are you trying to get rid of me?" agony swept through Lucy's features. "I know you think of me as a burden. Unnecessary trouble…" her voice faltered, and her bangs shadowed her eyes.

"Lucy…" Laxus said barely above a whisper. It was a contrast from his typical brusque manner, but Lucy was too distraught to notice the change in tone.

"I'm not as strong as you either. I was too weak to fight back at the dark guild. You probably took me in out of pity! Now you have an excuse to dump me, back at Fairy Tail's feet," Lucy's words were filled with hurt.

"Will you listen to me?" Laxus stepped forward in agitation. Twigs and sticks snapped under his shoes. "I told you to go back, because this is what you wanted! Do you think it's what I want?"

Lucy looked up, her eyes wide with surprise.

"I don't know," she responded with hesitance.

"When I asked you to be my woman during the fight against Phantom Lord, it was a half joke. But I said it, because there was something special about you. One glance from the second floor – it was in your smile, your laughter, your kindness." Laxus paused to look at her. "I've never met anyone so gracious towards people who have wronged her. You're not weak anymore. You saved your guild. And now you have a chance to go back…" he said hoarsely.

Lucy trembled as Laxus reached for her, then stopped. He clenched his fist.

"I want you to be happy, because you've made me happier than I've been in a long time."

"NO!" Lucy screamed, causing Laxus to flinch.

"I am happy that my team wants me back! But I have a new team now, with you," she said earnestly. "You're a jerk sometimes. And you don't know what personal space means. You snore and you have poor direction sense. Yet, you protect me… and come back to save me when I make stupid mistakes."

She paused, silently pushing herself to say what she truly felt.

"I like you more than a friend, Laxus! I want to stay by your side always!" she burst out. Her grip on Laxus' key chain tightened so much she was afraid she might break it.

Laxus froze.

"I want to return to Fairy Tail one day, but I want to go back with you! If I have to go without you, then take this back!" she struggled to pry the lightning bolt key chain from her belt. Amid the agitation of unhooking it, her cloak fell off.

The lightning bolt chain dangled from her outstretched hand. She stared at the ground, unable to face him. Lucy's breath hitched when Laxus stepped close to her. Pulling her into a tight embrace, Laxus whispered, "I would never abandon my woman, Lucy." He turned her face to his, and their lips locked.

The kiss, combined with the warmth of their bodies made Lucy relax. The key chain fell from her hand and hit the ground with a small, _clink._

**SUPER SPECIAL AWESOMELY EPIC THANKS TO A SPECIAL LITTLE BETA-READER OUT THERE. You had a little trouble with this chapter, but I don't blame you one bit. I thank you will all my heart, SKYMIA!  
>It is thanks to Skymia everyone that this chapter turned out as good as it did! Especially those fluffy moments. It was all her really. <strong>

**Thank you again Skymia. You truly are the best Beta-Reader a girl could have. **

**I also want to thank FairyTailFTW! You were also a large help in making this chapter! I mean, you caught a lot of things in this I probably never would have noticed. So thank you, thank you will all of my being FairyTailFTW. **

**Oh wow… you guys really just took off didn't you? I mean, you guys reviewed like crazy. I was a little scared to start writing replies to your reviews cause there were so many! **

**Total count of reviews= 73**

**That, that is amazing my friends. You are all so amazingly awesome that… that I am speechless. Thank you all so much. I'm pretty sure the replies will take up almost the entire chapter, but it's okay, cause I like talking to you all. It's like I have another group of friends to chitchat with whenever I need to. ^_^**

**Rigoudon3: **Exploding! That would probably be really messy, yet… it would be interesting to watch. 0.0 Sorry for the long wait, hope it was worth it.

**innocence-creator: **Really? That makes me super happy!

**Lost Canvas: **A long story huh? A lot of people have said that, so I'm probably going to go with it. This story gonna be super long! Well… not super long, but long none the less. Hmm, you may be right there. I should probably go over my story again and figure that out. -_- Haha! I like your reviews, they're fun. ^_^ And Lucy and Laxus did met up, thank heavens! It's about time those two admitted that they liked each other.

**Sin of the Fallen: **That would be so awesome to attack someone with fluff. However, I don't like it when she attacks, cause her fluff always looks like cotton Candy. Then I want some cotton candy but I don't have any -_-

**MintLeaFeon: **Roger that! Mega story it is since that is what everyone else wants. ^_^ I can't wait to add Aries and the others into the family too. Gemini, Aries and Scorpio are some of my favorite spirits. ^_^

**Reality Tales: **Oh wow. Thank you so much for the inspiration. It makes me relived to hear you say that. Thank you. ^_^

**Princess Happy: **You like the LaLu moments huh? Well you probably enjoyed the LaLu moments in this chapter too! :D :D

**Chrys Stone: **Thank you for the review. Yes I understand. As I was writing the chapter I didn't really think much about the actually possibility of Lucy being able to perform that spell without Hibiki. After posting the chapter though and re-reading it I realized the exact point you're trying to get across. Sorry for messing up that crucial detail, but I'm glad you like how Lucy fights. ^_^

**Footster26: **Of course she did! Haha! Cause the person Lucy is now is amazing! Sorry for the long wait on updates.

**animeparody: **Oh I'm sorry! :D I hope you aren't going into class again when I'm posting this chapter. :D

**Neko-Tiara: **Long story it is! Since so many people prefer it to be a long story. ^_^ Really? I'm so glad then! I hope you get to relax again when you see this. :D I hope your test went well.

**Feao Elvier: **Allie shall listen to Feao's request and tried to post this chapter as soon as Allie was able. Allie had trouble though and couldn't do it quick enough. Allie is sorry for the wait and is glad Feao likes LaLu cause LaLu is amazing.

**Asdfghjkl anime: **You asked for more Drama, Friendship, Family, Hurt/comfort, and LaLu. I bring this chapter today with all of that combined! Of course you can call me Allie-chan :D I feel like a weird Otaku sometimes. My sister just says I'm a dumb Otaku -_-

**Noomsie: **I like Jerza, but I'm 100% a LaLu fan. If there was every a possible LaLu scene in Fairy Tail I think I would just die of fangirlness!

**Kyara17: **Hey thanks, I felt this chapter was successful too! :D

**MishaHeartfilliaFullbuster: **Yay Loke is so awesome. He's the perfect prince character. :3

**Oshirajinda: **We got a whole lot of Laxus in this chapter though :D Laxus even stepped up and was a man! Elfman would be proud! Thanks for the suggestion. A lot of people are saying they would like it to stay all in one story. ^_^

**Vatala Darkmist: **I would kill Laxus a second time if he died before he could confess his love to lucy! That would not be okay with me. However~ it's okay for him to die now after this chapter. I'm not saying he is going to die though so don't get any assumptions!

**IrishElvnorWhiterDreyar: **Let it flow huh? I like the sound of that. I usually go with the flow of life anyway, so it works for me. ^_^

**ShadowKitKat11: **Hello! It's funny when you sent in this you hadn't finished the comic yet, but I just got a message from you saying you did just a few minutes ago! :D Haha, that's hilarious to me! :D Hope you like this chapter and it's okay. You didn't come on strong at all. It was inspirational. ^_^

**ABCMECBA: **A book worm! Hello fellow bookwormer! I'm so happy you like my story, ^_^

**OrbitalTM4: **I think I'm going to make it a long story too. ^_^ Sorry for the long wait. You're amazing for saying such nice things. I hope you have an awesome day for your kindness. :3

**suikodengel: **Lucy is getting more powerful! She's getting super strong, thanks to Laxus :3 Hopefully the reunion with Lucy and Laxus was good enough for your expectations. ;D

**Veraozao: **Phenomenal? Cool! :D I'm glad.

**Yes-Please-I'mLying: **Aww, you're making me blush. You like this story more then penguins? Are you sure? You're not just being nice are ya? Cause I mean, penguins are pretty awesome. It's funny cause right when I started writing the reply to your review I begun to listen to some of the songs from Happy Feet. ^_^

**fanatic-fangirl: **Lucy kick!~! Yeah, I could see her kicking midnight instead. ^_^ I think your right. Like maybe they had to kill their dragons or else something bad would have happened. 0.0

**oniwuufu: **Can't wait to see it! :D

**Lemonsnaps: **Afraid of being too epic? Nonsense! I do not know of the word 'afraid'! …Well… I do, but I probably wont change this into a double story cause so many people like it as one story. ^_^

**Starfall2466: **Aww, thanks. I really appreciate that. I work really hard on this story with the help of my Beta-readers. ^_^

**Madeline Cullen: **Yeah, it makes me wonder if everyone would really fall for that if it ever happened in the actual manga/anime? 0.0

**Lime Toaster Cat: **Yeah Lucy never actually found Erza and Midnight in the manga. I added it in this story though. Don't worry. The LaLu had blossomed in this chapter! :D :D I also felt like their relationship was moving kind of slow. So I stepped it up a notch ^_^

**Skymia: **:D Thanks for all the help Skymia! You really helped me this chapter and helped move the LaLu relationship to the next level!

**xXxDarkShadowWolfxXx: **You're absolutely right! Thank you for your review. I have a feeling I'm most likely going to make this just one story. It just doesn't feel like a story I should split up.

**AznMelody5678: **I would never end it! I'll finish this no matter what! Even if I lose both of my hands I'll still find a way to type this story!

**xXRedPokerGirlxX: **It took a while for people to start reviewing like this. I mean, I've had a fanfic for almost 4 years and it wasn't till this year with this story that people started reviewing like this. And it's only this story that got reviews like this. So don't worry, I'm sure the same will happen to you soon! ^_^ And I've decided not to split up this story and leave it as just one big story. And they will go to Heaven's groove right after the Oracion Seis Arc! :D :D

**star5258: **Lucy has officially been reveled! :D

**SereneButterfly23: **Lucy is strong. And oh Erza, you were so close!

**TigerMew225: **They do notice her! But Natsu falls asleep as soon as he does -_-

**Nini: **If I did do a squeal I would have ended this at the end of the Oracion Seis Arc, However I've decided not to split this into two stories and make it just one large story! :D **  
>Rosella6199: <strong>Roger that! Really? You really think I'm a good writer. Thank you so much. I'm am proud. Proud that I got such nice reviewers like you. ^-^

**61wisampa: **Right? Lucy is so smart. Lucy is the type to admire. Cause I always thought she was cool in the manga/anime. And she is so kind I just had to add all of her kindness into this story! :D

**Noelle89: **I think most people aren't bored with this story yet, so I'm not gonna make a sequel and just make this story crazily long. :D

**DragonSlayer2187: **I don't like sequels that are short either. I feel that sequels should be long and amazing! :D And don't worry, this story wont turn into a sequel. It will be super long.

**TheSexyBitchesFromFiore: **Oh I'm sure your stories are amazing. Don't get yourself down like that. ^-^ Thank you so much for the compliments though. :D I'll definitely check out your story!

**kasumi-kimi: **Epic to the 3 power. Hah, that made me laugh. ^_^

**lulubell1234567890: **I will continue!

**Fairedenale: **I think this would have been amazing if this was what actually happened! :D Thank you so much. I hope Lucy gets super strong in the anime/manga. :3

**Bloody. 5507: **I'm sorry for the long wait!

**Alix: **Thank you so much! :D

**Icetail1r: **:D Haha, so true so true. I believed I already talk to you about this though. Nostalgic no? ^_^ I'll work harder in future chapters to make it better :D :D!

**Star5258: **You're gonna die? Oh noes! I'll update faster then ever for the next chapter!

**L'archangel: **Sorry about the weird timeline. I'm trying to work on that in future stories/chapter. ^_^' But you're right. Fanfics are always messing up timelines, so it a little okay

** '94: **I love fluff! Fluff is so adorable! :D

**Bubblesxxpop: **You cried! Would you like a tissue. I've been handing them out a lot for this story. Laxus' fake name made me laugh too ^_^

**AliceMaeSama: **Thanks! :D

**CarolinSama: **Laxus huh? That would be quiet a twist ^_^

**midnights-dawn: **It is an unappreciated pairing! It's my goal to have LaLu be know by all! :D

**Laffy50: **Really? Oh ho! Excitement! I'm glad this is your first LaLu story! Welcome! Come, sit, enjoy the show! ^_^

**LoveofWarriors1998: **Thanks! ^_^

**Marrow365: **All kinds? ^_^ You wouldn't bore me at all! I think fangirl things are awesome! :D :D

**ebonypol: ** Yays! I'm glad you like it ^_^ It's makes me happy to know people love this story. This will probably end up being a really long fic too

**Killer Moon Lover: **I shall continue, all in this one story, I shall not make a sequel. Well, unless people want a sequel that is, then I'll make one. ^_^

**GIRL OF PARADISE: **Sorry for the long wait! Thank you!

**Jessiemaebay: **Sorry for the long delay! :D

**Lucy Ashley Heartfillia: **Really? It's your favorite. That's awesome!

**The Hybrid: **I hope you shall continue to live because I have updated!

**Guest: **-_- ? What does that face mean? Did you not like the chapter 0.0

**Joldino-Sidestreaker: **Really? It's awesome. Thank you so much! :D You're making me blush.

**Guest: **Roger that! I shall update!

**thingschangeeveryday: **Sure! It's not weird to ask at all. As soon as I'm done with this fic I'll definitely make a NaLu and GraZa fic! ^_^ I'm super glad you like this story and I'm glad you stated your opinion.


	24. Challenge for readers

Hey guys, I'm super sorry if you were disappointed when you went to this chapter just to see that in fact it really isn't a chapter at all. (Don't worry, I wont be ending this story any time soon if that is what you all thought. This story actually has a lot more chapters to come. ^_^)

I promised a good friend of mine that I would post this in my last chapter, but I forgot to do so. So, I shall keep my promise by doing this now.

I think you guys are all amazing people, and I have read a lot of your own stories. So now, I am giving you all a challenge.

A member of FanFiction, with the user name Amy Cahill09 has recently started a Fairy Tail Couple Writing Contest! She has asked me and two other authors on FanFiction to be the judge of this contest.

A lot of you have truly amazing work and I would love to see you all enter this contest! I think it would be fun, and I'm sure all of you would have a great time. ^_^

The rules of this contest is simple. You all will make a new story based on Fairy Tail. (You could even use a story you are currently working on if you like) You will add your story to Amy Cahill09's community and me and the other judges shall read over your story, review it, chit chat with each other, then decides who wins this contest.

The story must be based on a couple such as:

The story Categories:  
>Couples (ex. Natsu and Lucy Gray and Juvia)  
>Crack Couples (ex. Gray and Lisanna Lucy and Sting/ LUCY AND LAXUS! ;D)  
>Couples Needing More Support (ex. Elfman and Evergreen Bisca and Alzack)

Any couples you can imagine are allowed! The stories can also be one-shots if you would like.

The Prizes are:  
>First Place: A One Shot From One of the Three Judges Written About a Pairing of the Winner's Choice (Judges will decide who does which pairing)<p>

Second Place: A One Shot Dedicated to the Second Place Winner (Judges decide pairing and who dedicates the story to each second place winner)

Third Place: Mentioned in One of the Judges' Fanfiction (as an Author's Note. not as a person put into the story)

The story can be any rating. If you are worried about the rating you can message me and I can give you the okay and such. This contest shall last for a few more months, so I hope to see you all there. If you have any more questions, please message me and I will gladly answer! :D

The community for this contest is called "**Fairy Tail Couple Writing Contest (Entered Stories)**"

Just go to search and type in this name and it will pop up! :D I'm super pumped for this guys, and I can't wait to see what awesome stories and ideas you all have. Thank you for your time.

If you are interested you can message me. And if you are interested but for some odd reason can't post your stories onto the community/contest, just message me the link to your story and I'll post it on for ya :D

-_Allie Jenzie-_


	25. That voice Could it be!

**GAH! MY HAND HURTS! It hurts to type! Curse you my weak right hand! Curse you!**

Anxious thoughts swirled in Lucy's head.

"_Is this really happening? Am I really kissing Laxus Dreyar?!"_

Laxus gradually broke the kiss, but his forehead stayed pressed against hers. Opening his eyes slowly, Laxus smiled at Lucy's nervous blinking. Her hazel eyes were locked on his black ones; her breathing shallow.

Laxus leaned forward once more, cupping the side of Lucy's blushing face, giving her a second peck on the lips.

This one was gentle; as if he was making sure for himself, that the scene was real.

Not that Lucy really minded. The only thing that concerned her at the moment was Laxus' hand, which had begun to snake down her back.

"Laxus!" she squealed in surprise, jumping away from her new boyfriend – or first romantic interest.

Laxus smirked at her response, but felt a little disappointed at the same time. "What? I can't touch my girl?" he retorted.

Lucy's cheeks puffed out, showing she wasn't amused. "Not like that, not yet! I'm not that kind of girl." She finished, struggling to calm her rapidly beating heart.

Laxus laughed so hard he almost fell backward. He steadied himself against a branch that hung overhead.

"W-What?!" she demanded, infuriated.

Laxus paused to smirk at his Lucy, thinking back to the days when they were both still in Fairy Tail.

"It's odd for someone who dresses so scantily to refer to themselves as 'not that kind of girl.'"

Lucy gawked at him, enraged. "My clothes are not _that_ suggestive!" Folding her arms, she turned her head away. "It's not a crime to look good," she mumbled, feeling hurt. Laxus reached out and stroked her hair gently. He opened his mouth to apologize, but Lucy continued.

"It's not like I mean anything inappropriate, Laxus… Most of the time, I'm just trying to get outfits that are both cute and comfortable – running in a short skirt is easier than a ball gown."

"Besides," Lucy paused to swing her cape, spreading it out for Laxus to see. "I am far from scantily clad right now."

Laxus frowned, "Unfortunately." He muttered, covering his eyes with his palm.

Feeling her face heat up, she whirled around to face him, "What did you say?" she demanded.

"I said, that reminds me! Do you want me to continue to wear the cloak? The others have yet to discover my identity." Laxus quickly changed the topic.

"W-Why would you still wear it?" She asked softly, gawking at him.

With a small shrug he said, "We both know how Fairy Tail feels about me right now. It wasn't too long ago I was banished. I don't think they'll be completely okay with the idea of you being my girl." Laxus smiled slyly at the last part, liking the sound of his last words.

Lucy understood where Laxus was coming from. But Fairy Tail wouldn't try to stop their relationship, would they? Natsu would most likely try to pick a fight with Laxus when he first saw him. Who knows what the others would do? Lucy sighed aloud.

They would probably be shocked, who wouldn't be? If someone asked Lucy a few months ago who she would date in the future, Laxus would be the last in her mind - mostly because he didn't seem interested in her and she knew nothing about him.

Unlike now, where Laxus couldn't seem to keep his hands to himself.

Lucy bit her bottom lip, weighing her options. Perhaps it would be best for Laxus to wear the cloak; at least until the Oracion Seis issue was solved.

Giving a small nod, Lucy sighed, "I suppose it would be best for you to wear it."

Laxus folded his arms, one eyebrow raised at Lucy's sudden change of mind.

"I think you should keep it on, just till this whole thing is over. Once things start calming down, we can tell everyone. Though, knowing Natsu, he'll probably tell everyone who 'Lu' really is." She chuckled.

"They'll be more happy to see you than me." Laxus replied, lifting up his arm to grab the hood of his cloak and tug it over his head.

Lucy smiled at him, moving closer. Her dainty hands grasped the edge of his hood, adjusting it so that it hid Laxus' eyes.

"I'm happy that you are with me though. It's… very reassuring to know that you will be right beside me." Lucy gave him a warm smile, her expression affectionate and bright in the moonlight.

Though Lucy hadn't realized it until now, Laxus had made his way into her heart long ago. Flashes of her past came to mind. Her vision was hazy when she was in the hospital. Her memory was not. From the moment he said, "_I guess this makes you my apprentice now. So you must call me Master Laxus from now on_," Lucy knew she would never be able to part from the blond headed pervert. Perhaps it had always been that way, but Lucy only realized it now. Laxus was a person she could live for, fight for, and fall for. A person worth dying for.

"What?" Laxus insisted.

"Eh?"

"You've been staring at me for a while. It's cute, but a little weird." Laxus explained. Lucy blinked, staring at her surroundings.

She was gripping the sides of Laxus' hood, staring up at him for who knows how long.

"Ah!' Lucy squeaked, stepping away, her arms falling at her sides. "Sorry, Laxus, I was just… uh… you um…" Lucy's cheeks flushed slightly. He totally caught her off-guard!

Laxus chuckled low. The way she would switch from nervous to determined within seconds - it was one of the many reasons he had fallen for her.

"AHH!" A sudden cry made the two gasp.

"That was Wendy!" Lucy turned to sprint, running as fast as her feet could carry her back to her young companion. "Wendy, what's wrong?!" Lucy slowed her pace when she reached the clearing where Natsu lay.

Wendy's form, trembling violently, was staring forwards, towards her guild Cait Shelter, where Nirvana was facing. The hole towards the edge of the large structure began to glow menacingly, large magical power building within.

"Don't tell me-!" Lucy gasped.  
>"It intends to fire?" Laxus bellowed.<p>

"STOOOOP!" Wendy sobbed desperately, hot tears falling from her eyes. "NOT MY GUILD!"

A bright light erupted from Nirvana, shooting out towards Cait Shelter. Fractions of seconds seemed to pass as the brilliant energy hurled towards the tipi-like structure.

"NO!" Wendy wail echoed through the empty buildings. As the beam reached the building, it suddenly curved upward, missing target. Lucy's heart thudded; how was that possible?

Whether fate was on their side or not, no one knew. But it felt like they had just been granted a second chance. Nirvana had missed, and Wendy's guild had been spared.  
>"What? It missed?" Charle gasped.<p>

Lucy yelped when Nirvana tilted back, gravity causing her to stumble. Quick to react, Laxus stretched his arm around her waist, keeping her from falling.

Wendy and Charle, on the other hand, fell to the floor, rolling a bit as Nirvana continued to tip. Luckily, Natsu and Happy rolled back only a bit, being stopped by the wall behind them, keeping them in place. After a few seconds, the large device returned to the balance it had before.  
>"Thanks, Laxus." Lucy said, her hand in the crook of his strong arm. "What happened?"<p>

"Blue Pegasus," Laxus answered, motioning towards the sky.

Above, Blue Pegasus' magical bomber airship, Christina, floated above. Just as Nirvana fired, Christina attacked one of Nirvana's back legs, knocking it out of balance, successfully rescuing Wendy's guild.

"They made it," Lucy whispered softly, smiling up at the magnificent flying contraption.

_Can you hear me, anyone? If you are safe, then please respond!_

A voice echoed in everyone's head. The voice of the Blue Pegasus member, Hibiki.

"_Hibiki?" _Erza's voice soon reached their ears. She sounded exhausted, but regained her breath shortly.

"Erza." Lucy mumbled to herself, happy to hear the scarlet haired mage's voice. "Thanks goodness… she's okay," Lucy smiled to herself.

"_I am just about safe as well…"_Ichiya's voice wavered.

_Senpai! Thank Goodness!_

"_What's going on?" _Erza demanded. "_Surely, the Christina was taken down…"_

"_Lyon created a makeshift replacement for the broken wing, with his magic." _Hibiki explained, "_And we got it airborne through the combined power of Cheryl's doll magic and Ren's air magic."_

Lucy grinned to herself. To think, everyone had managed to come together like that… it was truly admirable.

"_The attack just now was thanks to Eve's snow magic." _Hibiki continued.

Eve's weak and staggering voice softly reached Lucy's thoughts, "_I combined my own magic with the Christina's own heavy magical ammunition…. But even so… I couldn't even destroy a single leg." _He paused to take a shaky breath. "_And after… that blast… I'm out of… power…"_Eve's voice fell silent. Having lost so much magical power, he must have collapsed.

"Eve…. Everyone, thank you." Wendy cried softly, staring up at Christina with teary eyes.

After a small pause, Hibiki sighed. "_Well, that's the deal. I'm afraid we're pretty much all spent. We can't do any more attacking like this."_

Charle gasped. "The Christina is falling!" She called out.

"They really are out of magical power. They can't keep it up!" Lucy added.

"_Don't worry about us!" _Hibiki yelled through the last ounces of strength he had left. "_Just listen to this, all of you! It took a while, but I finally managed to find the information we need in my archive! A way to stop Nirvana!"_

"_Really?!"_Erza's voice demanded.

"_As you can all tell, Nirvana as 6 legs structures, right? Well those legs are actually valves drawing up magical power from the earth. The lachrymal crystals responsible for controlling the absorption process are positioned around the top of each of the six legs. You can't destroy them one at the time. The others will just fix the damaged area. If you can destroy all 6 of crystals at the same time, all of Nirvana's functions will stop."_

"_All of them at once? But how?" _Erza questioned.

"_I'd like to lend a hand with the timing…"_Hibiki chuckled dryly. _"But I'm afraid this telepathy isn't going to hold out much longer." _Hibiki winced audibly.

"_Hibiki!" _Ven called out in worry.

Suddenly, holographic loading bars appeared above each person's head, uploading new information to everyone.

"Huh?' Lucy gasped. "Suddenly I know all this weird information."

"That must be part of his magic." Laxus muttered, folding his arms.

"_I've uploaded an exact time into each of your heads." _Hibiki explained weakly. "_I know you can do this! I believe in you all!"_

Lucy mentally nodded to herself. She only had a short time to stop Nirvana before it would fire at Wendy's guild again. She had to stop this thing, no matter what!

She froze when a dark voice chuckled in her head, sending shivers down her spine.

"_**How utterly futile..."**_it cackled.

"_Who's that?"_ Lyon called out.

"It's that Brain man!" Wendy announced.

"_He's hijacking into my telepathy?" _Hibiki exclaimed.

**"**_**My name is Zero. I am the master of the Oracion Seis."**_

"_Master?" _Ven muttered.

"_**First, allow me to grant my compliments. I never dreamed there would be another in the world who could use "Archive magic" the same as 'Brain'."**_

Lucy gritted her teeth, realizing he must have been referring to Hibiki.

**"**_**Now hear me, mages of light! I will hereby proceed to destroy everything! I have begun by already destroying a few of your comrades! Yes, the Ice mage as already fallen, alongside by that silly Dragon Slayer and his cat as well."**_

Lucy let out a gasp. He got to Gray?! Looking forward, Lucy's eyes fell upon Natsu and Happy's unmoving form.

"_Natsu and the others?!"_Hibiki stammered in shock.

"_You're lying!" Erza hissed menacingly._

Brain chuckled. **"**_**Now, you spoke of destroying all Lacryma at one, yes? Well I myself stand at this moment before one of those Lacryma crystals! WAHAHAHA! As long as I am here, you have no hope in destroying all those crystals at one time!"**_

His voice faded, leaving a sour taste in Lucy's mouth. So Zero would be waiting for them at one of the crystals, huh?

Lucy was certain Erza could defeat Zero, but the chances of her facing him were 1 to 6. That wasn't the full problem though…

"Wait!" Charle brought Lucy's worry to the surface. "We don't have six mages!" She exclaimed. "We don't have the six mages we need to destroy all 6 Lacryma!"

"_We have two candidates here." _Erza announced. "_Are there no other mages who can move?"_

Two? Did Erza mean that Jellal would be fighting as well?

"_You have me, do you not?" _Ichiya proclaimed.

"_That makes three."_

Wendy looked over her shoulder at Lucy, frowning. "I-I can't use destructive magic." She stammered weakly.

"_T-This isn't good. My magic is almost gone completely… I can't… hold the connection…"_Hibiki stuttered.

"_We need three more. Somebody, respond quickly." _Erza said, hoping someone would respond.

Lucy looked over her shoulder to Laxus, who seemed to have the same idea.

"You sure?" he asked. Smiling at him, Lucy nodded.

"I keep my word," Lucy looked at Wendy, recalling her vow to protect Wendy and her guild at all cost. Smirking at her, Laxus folded his arms.  
>"We're in." he declared.<p>

"_Ernie?" _Hibiki coughed. "_You and Lu are safe, thank goodness."_

"Ah." Laxus nodded. "Lu and I will go to one of the lachryma's together, that means you've got 4. Two more people need to go."

"_Two? Is there anyone left?" _Ven asked.

"Wendy will go as well_." _Laxus suddenly declared.

"E-Eh?" Wendy whirled around to face him. "Me?"

"Are you stupid?!" Charle demanded, preparing to claw out Laxus' eyes.

Smirking at her, he nodded.

"Laxus." Lucy said in shock. "What are you thinking?"

"Magic can destroy the lachrymal crystals. Just use your dragon's roar to destroy it." He explained, pointing to her. "A little brat like you can at least handle that.'  
>"Laxus." Wendy whispered softly. "I…" She looked towards Lucy, not sure what to do.<p>

Giving her an encouraging smile, Lucy nodded. "You can do it, Wendy." Lucy said with complete confidence. Slowly smiling, Wendy nodded weakly.

"I-I'll try my best!"

"_That makes 5, men." _Ichiya said

"_Gray, get up already…." Lyon's voice wavered a bit. "You're a proud apprentice of… Ur aren't you? You can't lose to this scum… So get up!"_

Surprised by Lyon's words, Lucy waited anxiously for Gray response, hoping that her old teammate would be okay.

"_Roger that…"_

Lucy gasped in surprise, a grin growing on her face.  
>"Gray!" Wendy grinned.<p>

"_Destroy all 6… Lacryma at the same… time… got it."_

"_That leaves 18 minutes left. We have to move quickly." _Erza commanded.

Hibiki let out a soft chuckle. "_My connection won't last… much longer. I've uploaded a map to each of your heads. Each of the crystals is marked… with a number. Before the connection breaks…each of you decide… on a number."_

"Number 1." Laxus smirked.

"_Number 2."_Gray decided.

"Number 3 for me." Wendy stammered, hoping that Zero wasn't there, waiting for her.

"_I shall handle number 4! My parfume tells me it is the closest to my location!"_ Ichiya bellowed.

"_I think you mean the map." _Erza sighed

"_Was there really a need to be so blunt, Erza-san?" _Ichiya sobbed silently.

"_I'll handle number 5! My companion will handle number 6."_

"_Erza?" _Gray called out. "_You're alright?"_

"_Yes. Thanks to a certain someone. It was you who saved me, wasn't it Lu?" _Erza was honestly amazed. For Lu to defeat Nightmare all by herself, when her and Jellal together could not accomplish that. Lu must be a truly amazing mage.

Lucy flinched, not sure if she should respond or not. "…"

"_Lu?"_ Erza asked.

Taking a shaky breath, Lucy bit her bottom lip.

"It's alright. You can tell them." Laxus surprised Lucy by taking her hand. Looking at him in shock, she smiled.

"Ah." She agreed, gripping his hand tightly. She looked towards Wendy, who gave her a comforting smile. _"Yes… but Erza, I'm afraid my name isn't Lu."_

Erza was silent, as if trying to understand what she meant. "…_T-That voice… Could it be…?"_

Lucy chuckled nervously. "_I'll have to do a lot of explaining when this is over… Sorry I lied to you all. Since Hibiki is almost at his limit we'll have to make this short. I swear I'll give you all an explanation when this is over."_

"_W-Wait a minute!" _Gray screamed. "_That voice… Could it be that you're-!"_

"…_Sorry I worried you all. Thank you though, Gray, Erza. We'll talk about this later though, okay? We have to protect Wendy's guild!"_

"_Lucy-!"_

Their voices suddenly died out, showing the connection was lost.

"Hibiki really was at his limit," Laxus muttered, shaking his head. Lucy nodded, wiping away a small tear that had trailed down her cheek.

"Well, let's get going. We have limited time." Lucy smiled to her companions. She looked to Wendy. "I know you can do it Wendy."

Wendy nodded, feeling determination build up inside of her. "You two stay safe." She added.

Laxus and Lucy nodded.

"Wait…" Charle interrupted the group by pointing to Natsu and Happy.

"What about those two?"

"Leave them." Laxus answered.

"Laxus!" Lucy scolded, elbowing him.

"What? They can take care of themselves. They will probably catch up soon anyway." He pointed. Seeing his point, Lucy sighed.  
>"I guess…"<p>

"They don't have any major injuries and should be awake soon." Wendy added. Feeling a little bit more comforted, Lucy nodded.

"Then I guess… we're off?"

"Of course." Laxus gripped Lucy's hand, pulling her towards the first crystal. As the two disappeared, Wendy and Charle couldn't help but notice how closer the two seemed then a few minutes ago.

"Let's go, Charle." Wendy piped up to her dear feline friend.  
>"Don't push yourself too much, Wendy." Charle warned.<p>

Giving a small laugh Wendy nodded. "We'll be back soon, Natsu!" She called to the unconscious Dragon slayer.

-Laxus and Lucy-

"Hey, Laxus?"

"What?"

"How come you wanted us to go together? I could have gone to crystal 3 in Wendy's place you know." She glanced at him, her hood slipping off in the hurried pace.

Laxus stared down the stone hall, spotting the bright light not too far ahead. "What, and be separated from you for the third time in one day? Not an option," he exhaled, kissing her hair.

**_A special thanks once again to my super special, awesome, fantastic, super cool, funny, kind, and very helpful beta-reader, SKYMIA!_**

**Just a reminder, the person who sends me the 1000****th**** review will get a special prize! XD****Who ever sends me the 1000th review, I shall write a fanfic just for you! You may chose which manga/anime I do the fanfic on along with the characters and such. Thank you all for the support. This reward is only a small thing I can do for you for all your kindness.**

**I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! This chapter took longer to get out then I first anticipated. I'm so sorry! Please forgive me!These past few months have just been really hard. Rest assured, I've already started working on the next chapter before I even posted this chapter up! So it won't take me several months to get the next one out. I swear on my soul. I'll make a blood pact with any one of you to prove it! Thank you all though for putting up with this long wait. **

**Anyway though, happy Thanksgiving everyone. I am really thankful for all of you. ^_^**

**These are the replies to the reviews from chapter 24. **

**Again thank you all. **

**Autore Raita: **Thank you for the review! :D I'm super glad you like it.

**Moocow4m3: **Aww! Thank you! XD

**Leoslady4ever: **I can't wait for that too~! I especially can't wait till they realize Lucy and Laxus' relationship. –wiggles my eyebrows-

Lucy: Allie! 0/0

**Good Omens: **Haha, the new chapter came along rather slow sadly. Please forgive me. ^_^' This chapter was also a little short. (It's pathetic really) Oh well. I'll make the next one SUPER long!

**12ReiRei:** You do? You really really really do?! Thank you!

**Hitokage Higure: **Roger that :D

**Betty: **Yeah, after reading the latest chapters in the manga, Laxus has become more mellow Sweet even. I just love it XD

**Kongo Isamu: **Sorry for the long wait. I hope I didn't upset you with how long it took. But here it is now, so please enjoy :D

**Erisa Daelyn: **I have returned! With everything going on at home and me sort of neglecting my other stories I suppose you could say I took a small break with this story. The break is now over though, so don't worry :D

**Star5258: **haha, thanks ^_^ I hope you liked this chapter though :D

**Guest: **Ridiculous! The chapters aren't over! Not by a long shot! However… You really think LaLu is better then NaLu? Aww, you're so nice! Thank you so much!

**Raicheda: **Yup it is still running! :D Umm… not sure how long this story will go though. 0.0 Usually I plan out the length of the story in my head, but for this story… I'm really just going with the flow. Plus the chapters are normally (though sadly) a little short, so it is making the story longer. And you really find this story fun? :D I find this story fun too! It always have fun writing this story ^_^

**Wolf D. Dragon: **A mini heart attack? XD Lol. I did have fun judging! :D

**Rozinita: **Aww, I'm sorry! Uh… judging by how it took me three months (Which it usually doesn't take me that long, I swear!) I don't exactly have an exact time limit for updating. I usually try to update every week or two honestly. I had been doing it that way through this whole story except for this chapter. 0.0 weird really.

**One More Time With Feeling: **-sniffles- that beautiful. Thank you so much. You're making me cry with joy. I'm so glad you're a LaLu fan now! XD I'm sorry I hurt your heart! Get better soon heart! Hopefully this chapter helps your heart ache, even just a little. Thank you so much! ^_^

**Bella Potter-Black: **I decided to keep this story going. I don't know why, but it would feel a little weird to continue this story in a sequel. But thank you! LALU DOES ROCK! IT'S EPIC! XD

**XxShyxX: **Now :D :p XD

**Ion-la-revolution: **Aww thank you. That means a lot ^_^

**Oniwuufu: **Ahh! I'm sorry little oniwuufu heart. I swear I didn't mean for you to get a heart ache. I'm sorry for taking so long! I swear I didn't mean too. Please forgive me. –tears- T-T

**LovaIsARose: **OKKKKKAAYYYYYY XD

**TpLoz: **REALLY? Kyah! I'm so excited! Did you already write the fanfic? Can I read it? Can you tell me the title? I'm so excited now! XD

**Rcarcar02: **No, no, not at all. After all this time, I think I deserve to be rushed ^-^'

** : **ROGER THAT! –salutes-

**Lazy Person: **I'm lazy and don't feel like logging in ALL THE TIME! Haha, but then it is sad because I can't find the story I reviewed to later and can never know how they end ._. It's sad.

**FairyTailFTW8D: **aww, you're making me blush. Thank you~! And it shall be a long ending, this I swear!

**Cloy552: **My sister says I've gone nuts 0.0

**TheCelestialDraongSlayerxx: **Why yes :D I think I shall update

**Kat: **Really? The best? Aww, now you're just saying things.

**Tazski: **3 hours? You're amazing person! You can say that! It is perfectly okay! Scream it to the heavens and randomly to your friends. "I AM A LALU FAN!" they may look at you weirdly, but it will give a good laugh ^_^

**AznMelody5678: **OKAY OKAY OKAY OKAY I SHALL! :D Haha ^_^

**Rjanarielle: **Yay! Send me the link to your story when you're done so I can read it, kay ^_^

**Lost Canvas: **haha, Yeah I don't think I've ever updated _that _fast before ^_^

**Catrina7077: **It's on my profile page under my community section :D

**Jasmine831: **Aww, I'm sorry I got your hopes up. I got the actually new chapter out though ^_^ A Sting and Lucy Fanfic huh? I've read a few of those before, I thought they were cute. ^_^ I might write one of my own someday. But I say you should definitely write your own fanfi! And it is okay to rant. I'll check out that story now. :D But seriously, you should write your own fanfic too. Then send me the link so I can read it. You'll only get better if you start writing. I mean, I didn't feel confident in my writing until this past year. So don't worry, you'll be fine ^_^

**And these, are the replies to chapter 23: 0.0 M-Maybe you guys shouldn't review so much…. Nah, I'm just kidding! 8-86 reviews~? W-Wow you guys are awesome. You just send me more reviews every new chapter. XD Granted, my hand hurts from writing so much now. BUT THANK YOU! **

**Just a reminder, the person who sends me the 1000****th**** review will get a special prize! XD****Who ever sends me the 1000th review, I shall write a fanfic just for you! You may chose which manga/anime I do the fanfic on along with the characters and such. Thank you all for the support. This reward is only a small thing I can do for you for all your kindness.**

**TheSexyBitchesFromFiore: **Months huh? Well… it's literally been months you've been waiting for this chapter no. -_- Sorry about that. –sigh's dreamily- however I could die from joy after seeing Laxus and Lucy kiss too! Check out your story? Sure :D

**Ebonypol: **No problem XD

**Lemonsnaps: **Ohhhhh, don't scare me like that. I thought for a moment you were going to tell me this story is terrible or something. I got scared 0.0 Aww… really? Really truly? You're so sweet lemonsnaps. Thank you so much!

**Oshirajinda: **It is adorable!

**Bloody. 5507: **THEY DID KISS! Kyah! –squealing is now taking place- haha. I think a lot of people thought that ^_^

**Lucy Ashley from Fairy Tail: **Nah, probably not. I mean, I think a jealous Natsu is adorable. But I just don't want to add that in this story. I want this to be just a LaLu story. Maybe sometime I'll make a NaLu fic ^_^

**xXGrayGuitar14Xx: **LALU FOREVER XD! Thanks!

**Blackwolfs900: **Aww thank you. Haha, really? Thank you for noticing all those small little moments. ^_^

**Fairy tail and anime FTW: **It is about time. Those two took forever! Granted it was my fault they took forever, but details, details!

**Princess Happy: **They did kiss! And they kissed a little bit more at the beginning of this chapter too! XD

**Jessiemaebay: **They did kiss! XD Aww really? Thank you so much XD

**Citygurl1515: **Oh my gosh you fainted?! Thank you! YOU"RE SO KIND! ^_ ^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^ I hope I didn't confuse you with that many faced smiley face 0.0

**ShadowKitKat11: **Shocked. They are definitely gonna be shocked. I mean… who wouldn't be? 0.0 But thank you. You're words mean a lot to me. ^_^ I'm glad the reunion and confession went smoothly. I was worried it might be to fast, or to slow.

**Asdfghjkl anime: **Ahh, I just love when you review. You always give me such long reviews. It's awesome. ^_^ Aww, you're still crying from those chapters? Aww! Here take a tissue –holds out a tissue box- I LOVE YOU TOO! As a friend too of course ^_^ You were sick. Thank for reviewing in your sick state! I hope… well you're probably already better since it's been around 4 months since you sent me the review. -_- Sorry about the wait by the way. Have a nice day though!

**MintLeafeon: **They are together! –cheers- Yeah there was a lot of rhyming in that review… but at least you had good timing. XD haha

**Innocence-creator: **you do? THAT IS AMAZING! YAY FOR LALU!

**Hinagiku Zeelmart: **aww, thanks. Hey, can I ask something though deary? Did you draw your profile picture? It looks like Lyon and some other girl. (Sorry, I'm not sure who she is, but she looks pretty ^_^) it's really good.

**GoldenRoseTanya: **woohoo back ^_^

**Rosella6199: **I SHALL NEVER DISCONTINUE THIS STORY! MWAHAHA! AND THEY DID KISS! I'M SORRY THOUGH I'm SCREAMING FOR SOME UNKNOWN REASON! HAHAHA ^_^

**Jenny1715: **I hope this wait was worth it too. Sorry! I love revelations. They are always so grand. ^_^

**Guest: **There were a lost of guest replies. So I'll just reply to all of them here. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! Would you really give me cake? REALLY REALLY? YAY!

**OrbitalTM4: **Aww, you checked every week. That's so sweet, thank you. You're a NaLu fan. LA GASP! No it's okay, it's fine. I'm also a NaLu fan. I'm a GraLu fan, a LaLu fan, a NaLu fan, a StingXLucy (What is this one, StingLU? StiLu? 0.0 I dunno) I'm a fan of everything. Thank you though for accepting this story XD

**AznMelody5678: **Really? Yay!

**VitaeCurses: **Don't worry, I'm a weirdo too! XD Pfft, sexual frustration huh? Haha ^_^ 80 chapters. 0.0 wow. I wonder if this story will turn out to be 80 chapters long. It might be, by the pass I'm taking it -_-

**Pokermaniac139: **I'm glad! Thank you!

**Jndh21: **THE DID FINALLY KISSED! YAY! Haha ^_^

**Bananapower: **5am? That's late. Hope you got a lot of sleep after that ^_^ Thank you though. ^_^ It will be a happy ending! I've never actually written a story before with a sad ending…. Maybe I should try it once. Not on this story of course. But at some point.

**WolfieANNE: **Who says you can't be like her? ^_^ Give it a go. Start of by screaming, "I LOVE LALU!" to a random public. It will be fun and work up your courage ^_^

**Neko-Tiara: **Thank you so much! Haha, what was that afghaoggaajedhjafo? Haha. I guess I would say the same if I saw Laxus and Lucy kiss. –sighs dreamily-

**Lost Canvas: **Sadly this chapter isn't long –sniff sniff- He said nothing cause he's holding in his anger. He's waiting till he gets to the boss (Brain/zero) That is when he shall release his complete fury! It's like in the manga (in the latest chapters) when he didn't show how angry/epic he was until he started fighting Phantom Lord. ^_^ Lucy asked Loke to go back so she could save magic energy. Who knows who she might be fighting next, right? ^_^ Your opinions are your opinions. Thanks for sharing though. I suppose the confession was a but cliché. I'm a sucker for cliché's though ^_^

**WhatExistsInFalling: **Really? Thanks ^_^

**Rina Nina: **Aww, thank you! There are grammar mistakes, yes. I've been trying to fix them though ^_^ IT WILL NOT END SOON! I've decided to keep it going and not continue it in a sequel ^_^ I would slap Lucy upside the head if she just left Laxus. THEY ARE FOR THE WIN XD

**Sin of the Fallen: **Ah, spring is coming for our young LaLu couple. Haha ^_^

**Never Again10: **Thanks :D

**FairyEater22: **You're reviewer 778? Thank you! And your French is excused. Haha, I'll definitely write more.

**Chrys Stone: **Thanks :D

**Vatala Darmist: **They do! :D

** : **^_^ Thanks! :D

**Wormcake: **Haha, I'm not sure if I should feel accomplished or not

**Tsukiyomi Hinamori Amu: **Laxus is handsome! –sighs dreamily-

**NoemiNalu: **They did! XD

**Icetail1r: **Haha, no problem ^_^ No! This story shall NEVER end! Well… it might end eventually, but not any time soon. ^_^ Thank you though!

**Baka4Anime: **Nope! There will be a lot more chapters ^_^ Thank you! You're so nice ^_^

**SereneButterfly23: **I'll be writing more, as you can probably tell. ^_^

**Nwyd: **They are sweet. I love LaLu XD

**The hotpocket hunter: **N-No! This isn't the end. Not at all! I shall continue forever! Okay… maybe not forever, but you get the point ^_^

**Veraozao: **They'll go back to Fairy Tail… eventually. ^_^'

**Kannyiha: **It is alright if you like NaLu better. NaLu is pretty cute ^-^

**Yourloveneverfails: **Thanks! :D

**Animelovwers: **I'm glad you like it :D Hope you continue to read this story ^_^

**Jasmine831: **It's okay Jasmine. ^_^ Don't be ashamed! Embrace your inner fangirl! I was squealing the whole time I was writing the confession scene ^_^

**TheBlackSeaReaper: **Thanks LD

**Kanamee: **Really? Aww! Thank you so much ^_^ :D

**Misa-chan: **Confused? How so? Please explain so I can try to fix it! ^_^

** -chan: **Haha, so you're a NaLu fan huh? Hehe ^_^

**Funbynny99: **My readers are dedicated. They are so amazing, every single one of them.

**Missing nin: **Blown? Aww! Thank you! I never thought I would be able to blow someone's mind with my writing. It makes me happy ^_^

**DianaSawas: **Roger that ^_^

**FearXStiLu: **Update everyday? Haha, that might be a little hard. Excluding how long it took to update this chapter I usually update 2 or 3 times every month. ^_^ Thanks for reading.

**oxCuteKataraox: **Yay! I made you a LaLu fan! I like Gr/Na/lo-Lu as well too! I like almost every person Lucy is matched up with. ^_^ LaLu is a crack fic, yup ^_^ Well… it use to be. It's starting to become more though. Judging by how many new authors are making LaLu fic. You can go to my profile and down to my LALU community if you want. There are a lot of LaLu fanfics there ^_^

**Lucas Band: **Yeah I know 0.0 Most of my chapters lately are just me replying! My hand is starting to hurt from typing so much T-T As for Laxus's and Lucy's relationship though. I'm not sure how fast it will develop. A little fast at first, then it will slow down. And I do plan on revealing it to other characters! :D I'm so excited for when I do too! Updating: Besides this chapter, I usually update my story 2 or 3 times a month. Sometimes 4 if my mind comes up with a lot of good ideas XD

**Sourcherry96: **I am busy, yes. But I shall update now! :D

**Danthemanwithaplan7: **Hands down? Centric? You really mean that? :D Hehe, thank you! I was always so worried I was going OCC on Laxus' character. It very reassuring to hear you say that I'm doing it right though :D

**SweetChocoChipz: **THANK YOU XD :D

**FairyTailFTW8D: **Nonsense! I'm sure your fanfic are amazing. Send me a link to one of your so I can read it :D haha ^_^

**Sumthingblu: **I'll try my best. Thank you!

**Namikaze360: **They did kiss! Finally, those slow pokes. (haha, little author joke there ^_^) A genius 0/0 Oh no no, I wouldn't say that. But thank you for saying it though! It makes me happy. And Laxus shall be doing some Brain butt whooping in the next chapter :D

**WhiteTenshi: **Thanks!


	26. Beward the fans: (Filler)

NOTE!: This is a filler. So don't get confused, it is just for fun.

"GET THEM!" a heavy voice commanded.

Lucy inhaled sharply, her chest ablaze. The ground flashed underneath in her long strides. Sprinting as far as her legs could carry her, she took a sharp turn to the left, following behind the lightning mage.

Laxus glanced over his shoulder. He stretched his hand to hold hers, desperate to not let her fall behind.

"W-Why are they… blaming us!?" Wendy cried desperately, struggling to keep up the pace. Her eyes cast a nervous look towards the angry mob that stormed after them.

"Because we are the main protagonists," Charle answered. "There is nothing we can do about this but follow the cheesy plot line!"

How they had managed to get this giant mob into one town, Lucy wasn't completely sure. All she knew was they had come by the hundreds – brandishing pitchforks and flaming sticks. Sweat dripped from many a brow, and dust clung to their clothes.

They had only come for a day or two. Just to stay the night before they would move out to continue the plot that their author had barely planned out, just winging it as they went.

Staying the night at a carelessly named hotel – Miss Fortune Hills' Inn – they had just freshened up in their rooms when something crashed through the window.

Wendy jumped in surprise, as something large and heavy landed next to her feet. Lifting up the object, also known as a rock in every culture, she looked at the window.  
>"What the…" Lucy walked to the window. Peering outside to trace the throw, her eyes widened at the sight before her.<p>

A large mob, containing the whole town and more surrounded the building, glared and squinted at the pretty blonde.

"Uh… Laxus?" She called softly. Coming to her side, he looked over her shoulder.  
>"What the hell?" he muttered.<p>

"Get down here, mages!" One girl demanded. She was oddly dressed for a citizen. Black jeans were matched with a white tank top, a picture of anime on it. The crazed look in her eyes alone was enough to explain just who these people were.

"Otaku's." Laxus muttered softly, sounding almost, ALMOST, horrified.

The word filled the air with an unsettling feeling. The very meaning to the word itself was hard to describe.

But at the sight of those hundreds of elite, social skill lacking, studious, none athletic, and downright crazy people below, Lucy could only shudder.

"What do they want?" Charle asked wearily.

"Only one way to find out." Laxus began towards the door.  
>"Whaaa-Laxus!" Lucy ran after him. She latched onto his arm in an attempt to stop him. "Are you crazy? Do you have any idea what those fan girls will do to you?!"<p>

Turning to her, his eyes were dark; filled with an emotion she had never seen before. "There is no other way, Lucy." He managed.  
>"No! I can't let you!" As Lucy's thoughts came out from her mouth before she could stop them. She could just feel the fan girl's power growing. The dark forces that surrounded them, a power so strong it was unmatchable.<p>

"Lucy! Laxus! They're trying to get in!" Wendy let out a shrill cry when one of them began to scale the walls, trying to get in through the window.

"Back, savage!" Charle commanded, scratching his face. Not accepting the attack, he fell back, falling back into the sea of over eccentric teens and older, all without a life.

Slamming the window shut, Wendy made small attempts to lock it, knowing full well it wouldn't hold them for long. Reaching for her bag, she ran to her older companions, staring at them desperately.

"What do we do?"

Laxus scowled. "We'll have to fight our way out." He took Lucy's hand, leading her towards the door.  
>"Are you crazy? Do you have any idea who those people can do to characters like us?" Charle demanded.<br>Glaring at her, Laxus swung open the door. "If you have any other plan, I'd be glad to hear it." He stormed into the hall, bringing Lucy with him.

Exchanging worried glances, the two younger mages followed.

"What exactly is the plan, Laxus?" Lucy gripped his hand tightly. "We can't hurt them. They are invincible! United together, their powers hold no bounds!"

"That doesn't mean we can't shake them off. Even they have to rest at some point." Laxus clarified, making his way down the flight of stairs and out the front door.

As the four mages left the hotel, the sea of fans instantly met them. Cheers and screaming reached them as soon as they were spotted.

"Laxus!" the girls squealed.

"We love you!" was sung like a chorus.

"Sign my stomach!" cried another fan.

"Uh… no." Lucy grimaced as a man ran up to her, lifting his shirt up and holding out a pen to her. Laxus pulled on Lucy's arm, yanking her back, glaring at the man angrily.  
>"Get back!" Laxus ordered, shielding the girls behind him<p>

Suddenly, the echoing cries of "Update!" filled their ears. Several individuals sported crazy hairstyles and red eyes came closer, edging through the throng to talk.

"Oh you must be Allie Jenzie's overly demanding fan-base." Lucy pointed to the crowd in realization.

"Where is the new chapter!?" They demanded angrily, pointing their pitchforks at the group.

"W-Wait! We mean no harm!" Wendy stammered softly

"Look, I'm sure she is hard at work on new material." Laxus raised his hands in an aggressive manner, trying to reason with them.

"One new update every two or three months isn't that bad, is it?" Charle piped up, floating above Wendy's head with a nervous frown.

"Update!' They began to chant.

"What happens with Zero?! With Jellal?"

"Uh…" Lucy took a shaky step back as they began to close in.

"What will happen to Team Natsu? Will Wendy stay with you guys or go to Fairy Tail? Will you return to Fairy Tail?!" Laxus shoved a guy back who got a little too close for comfort.

"I-I won't go back to Fairy Tail, unless Laxus comes with me." Lucy managed, receiving an incredulous look from said lightning mage.  
>"Really?" he asked with a slight tilt of his head. She blushed furiously, giving him a meek nod.<p>

"I told you, I won't leave you, Laxus."

He smiled, but scowled when some fan girls began to push forward. "Get back! Can't you see we're trying to have a moment here?"

They squealed at his words.

"The only moment I remember is when you kissed me in my dreams!" uttered one girl. She was immediately elbowed and pushed to the ground.

"Laxus and Lucy is the only pairing we've come to support!" snarled the other female adolescents.

"WHAT ABOUT THE LATEST CHAPTER!" The crowd demanded.

"Now now," A calming voice said from the back of the crowd, "Let's give Allie a chance. Surely blaming the characters will solve nothing." The girl, who Lucy would forever respect and love for her courage, was none other then Skymia. The Beta-Reader of Allie Jenzie!

"Skymia!" Lucy gasped.

"Skymia-san!" Wendy smiled in relief, staring at the Beta-Reader like she was her knight in shinning armor.

"You all must understand," The mighty Beta-Reader tried to reason with the Otakus and other fans, "Allie has a life outside of FanFiction. She is not able to get to the computer every day and work on her stories. She has a life, school, friends, and recently a job that has taken its toll."

"Life, please!" one scoffed. "Allie has no life! She sits in her room all day drawing and typing up her own stories that she hopes she can publish one day. If she can do that, then she should be able to work on her FanFics!"

"Just give her some more time." Skymia begged desperately, prepared to fend off these fans as best as she could.

"Silence Beta-Reader!" another snapped. "There is no room for you or your logic here! Leave us!"

Skymia narrowed her eyes, ready for a fight as the fans were upon her.

"Symia no!" Lucy and Wendy cried out as their beloved Beta-Reader was swept away in the waves of over-energetic fans.

Several turned back to Lucy and the her friends, "Will you win?! Will Zero beat you up?! Will Natsu have to save you?" Laxus gritted his teeth.

"Will Lucy get hurt? Will Laxus die?" Laxus' body shook with rage.

"WHERE IS THE NEXT UPDATE!? IT'S BEEN MONTHS!"

"Maybe she will never update! Have you ever thought of that?!" Laxus yelled out of frustration. The crowd fell silent.

"Laxus, what have you done?" Lucy hissed in horror.

"UPDATE!" one of the crazed fans threw the pitchfork at Lucy's face, which he barely caught in time.

"Ahh!" Lucy screamed in shock, looking up at Laxus in surprised relief.

"Hey!" he yelled in fury, throwing it right back. Hitting its target dead on, the nerd stared down with wide eyes at the sharpened object that had just impaled him in the chest.

"Ah!" Wendy screamed in horror covering her mouth.  
>"Crap," Laxus hissed, realizing the severity of what he had done.<p>

Slowly looking up, the fan smirked. Reaching down, he pulled the pitchfork out of himself as if it was nothing. The black bars were clean; no sign of blood anywhere in sight.

Covering her mouth in sheer horror, Lucy squeaked as she pulled on Laxus' sleeve.  
>"W-We have to go…" she whispered softly.<p>

"Yeah…" Laxus mumbled softly, letting himself get pulled back by Wendy and Lucy.

The crowd, sensing their retreat, charged.  
>"RUN!" Charle screamed.<p>

And this was around the point where we first began. Running for their lives from their author's insane, if not dedicated, fans.

As the turned the corner, Wendy gasped to realize it was a dead end.

They were trapped.

Whirling around, the mob began to crowd inside the small ally, staring at them viciously.

Backing up into the wall, Wendy took Charle into her arms, "Good bye, cruel world!" Wendy sobbed, holding Charle close as she could.  
>"I blame you for this Allie! All of you!" Laxus yelled into the sky, shaking his fist angrily.<p>

"Laxus," Lucy took his hand. He turned to her, glancing almost nervously at the crowd. Was this really the end?

"If this is the end I… I'm glad I got to spend it with you." She said breathlessly. Taking her hand into his, Laxus brought her close.

"Me too," He whispered, wrapping his arms around her waist.

As they shared one final bittersweet smile to each other, the fans lunged.

_AHHH!_

Sitting up in shock, a scream caught in her throat, silencing her. Taking a shaky breath, she scanned the area.

She was back in the hotel, in her bed. Laxus was on the sofa while Wendy and Charle took the bed to her right.

All of them asleep, unaware of the dangers she had just saw.

"…A dream?" she whispered softly. Running shaking fingers through her golden locks, she sighed. What sort of dream was that?!

She would never be answered though. For her Author knew too well that it was only an excuse to past the time. For her brain was being stupid, and refused to think of ideas for the next chapter.

So she tried to make it up with a filler, filled with odd jokes, cheesy plot lines, and cute romance.

Yup, life was grand and this filler is done. Which only causes the author to slump in depression because she realizes she will have to update this story eventually. Especially if she doesn't want her own fan base going after her, bombarding her with questions and sharp weapons.

Yeah… I better get on the next chapter, and fast.

**Listen everyone, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry it is taking me so long to update. I know I keep promising to change, but the past has constantly repeated itself. **

**I hoped to make it up a bit with this small filler simply for laughs and giggles. I hope none of you become offended with this either. If you are Otaku's or nerds or whatever, please know I love every single one of you. **

**NERDS AND OTAKU'S RULE THIS WORLD! Being one myself, I fully support all of you and this chapter is only for kicks. **

**Also, a big big Big Big BIG Thank you to my Beta-Reader Skymia. I added you into this because you are always there for me, and support me in every way. You are the best Beta-Reader I have ever had. This story would be nothing without you. You have helped it grow, and helped me become the writer I am today.**

**This story belongs to you just as much as it belongs to me. Honestly, I truly believe that this story belongs to every single person who loves it. This story has come so far with the support of the reviewers, my Beta-Reader, and everything else in between. **

**Thank you all so much. And I will hope, pray, and will stab myself in the brain to get the next chapter out within the month. I wont promise cause… well… we've seen how that had worked out -_-**


End file.
